The Curse of Long Service Awards in Lala Companies is but a Grim Reminder

Completing several years at a stretch while working with the same organization is generally viewed as a milestone of sorts by any employee.

Most, if not all, organizations recognize their employees for long association by giving out long service awards.

Award for completing 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years and even more are quite common and popular in the corporate world.

However, from the standpoint of career growth, whether getting long service award is really an achievement or not is a matter of debate.

If you are working in a professional company, then there are high chances that this milestone will be an achievement too.

And if you have worked with a high degree of passion and diligence, you will see some career growth.

However, if you are working in a lala company, then the story is going to be entirely different.

An employee may have stayed very long in a lala company simply because she had no other option.

In several cases, an employee in such companies will end up becoming "unemployable".

And would not be competent enough to get another job outside in another organization.

In fact, the employee might have gotten herself into a cookie jar which is about to get empty.

She may now be the proverbial rat in the rat race with additional complications:

• She has crossed the point of no return in her career and her speed is so high that aborting take-off is no longer an option available to her
• She is also fast approaching the end of the runway of her career and she is rapidly running out on the length of the runway!
• She will eventually be reaching a position where she can't get anything outside and she can't leave, and hence, she is totally stuck.

So, she will gradually accumulate years.

First, she will get 3 years’ service completion award.

Then 5 years’ service completion award.

And then 10 years’ service completion award.

And then also some more.

This will go on and on till she retires, or the company shuts down or the lala company owners shunt her out unceremoniously.

Getting long service award in a lala company is nothing less than a grim reminder.

Grim reminder about the fact that:

• Your career is stuck and there is no scope for any further real professional growth
• You will need to tolerate the lala and his stooges for several more years to come
• You are now totally unemployable and need to hold on strongly to what you are doing
• You are in a precarious situation as far as attaining financial freedom is concerned
• You are going to live for some more time at the mercy of the lala and his stooges

That way, long service awards are like a curse.

The funny thing is, you need to react to them with forced happiness.

You might get into a meeting with the top lalas and his stooges where everyone congratulates you.

You say thanks for the wishes and all.

However, you are not happy.

Not at all.

You have no choice either.

You show you are happy.

You have no choice on that either.

And even if unwillingly, you have to become a part of the drama played out in the name of longevity and loyalty.

That’s the true hallmark of a lala company.

Longevity and loyalty only matter.

Drama around longevity and loyalty matter the most.

That’s a sad thing.

But that’s what it is.

Take it or leave it.

You collect the award even as you look at it not as an award.

It is nothing short of a curse.

The curse which is but a grim reminder.

You also realize you are stuck and you not getting out or going anywhere.

You gather yourself.

And you get ready and mentally prerpared for the next one.

For the next long service award.

For a bigger curse.

And a bigger grim reminder the next time. 

Big Bs You Should Avoid

How you carry yourself and how you conduct your affairs is an important attribute of your overall personality.

There are some personal traits that you should always avoid.

Interestingly, these attributes start with the same letter B!

These Big Bs are to be strictly avoided if you want people to like you.

Remember, on their own, no one would tolerate or accept these Big Bs.

Here is the list of the Big Bs you should avoid, always.

• Bulldoze
• Bully
• Bargain
• Blackmail
• Badger

And here is what they mean and what they indicate about your personal traits.

Bulldoze:

• clear (ground) or destroy (buildings, trees, etc.) with a bulldozer
• This is the tendency to not let others express their views and thoughts and impose your whims and fancies on them. 

Bully: 

• seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable
• This is the tendency to try to dominate others and make them feel intimidated of you so that they fall in line and follow your instructions.

Bargain: 

• negotiate the terms and conditions of a transaction or an agreement between two or more parties as to what each party will do for the other
• This is the tendency to make someone follow your wish by offering them some temptations by evoking their weakness for something.

Blackmail: 

• the action of demanding payment or another benefit from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them
• This is the tendency to force someone to follow your instructions by creating a situation where that person is left with no choice but to obey you.

Badger: 

• repeatedly ask (someone) to do something; pester
• This is the tendency to bug and bother someone by asking them the same thing again, and again and yet again.

Where Coterie Rules, Only Loyalty and Egos Matter, Not Competency and Merit

Many companies are infested with the coterie culture.

There is a small group of "yes sir" folks who are stooges of the top man.

They form a spider-web full of and stinking badly of secrecy, conspiracy, conceit and insecurity.

Spider-Web of Coterie Culture

These people share secretive interests and agendas, especially one that is exclusive of other people.

This set of idiotic dogs form an evil syndicate to propagate and promote one-upmanship in accordance with the directions of their master.

The master checks on the loyalty quotient by very often throwing the ball away, lifting the dirty ring finger and saying, "go, fetch". 

The stooges try like buffoons to outrun each other to get the ball back to their common master.

These selected stooges are trained to remain that way.

Some of them think they are too smart for their own boots.

But easily forget that a dog doesn't need a boot!

This inner circle of stooges carries huge egos and thinks of themselves as privileged lot.

It is quite ironical that the top man and stooges talk as if they are fair and genuine.

A little scratching of the top surface brings up the dirty insides of the inner circle.

The stooges send stupid and utterly non-sensical e-mails.

This coterie creates artificial reporting lines in the organization where only loyalty and egos matter.

Not competency and merit.

Not at all.

Nada.

They create roles and titles and designations and what not to perpetuate the system of idiocy they have put together in the circus they call company!

Professional management thrives in and creates a professional organization.

Similarly, professional organization promotes and creates a professional management.

They together create a professional culture.

But in a company infested with comical stooges, the first, unfortunate casualty is professionalism.

And out of the door goes professional culture.

What you get at the end is a Lala organization.

Irony is, this inner circle thrives by maintaining an air of exclusivity due to their closeness to the centre of power in the organization.

They, in a very sickening manner, regard themselves as elitist and defend their untenable and vulnerable position by being secretive.

They write stupid e-mails.

In such a company competency and merit means a zilch.

In such a company titles, designation and even roles means nothing.

They are simply adornments on the dirty walls of the organization.

They form a dirty circle, an evil group of people with shared agendas, interests and acquaintances.

This dirty inner circle pretends to be an exclusive group close to the centre of power in the organization, and is viewed elitist and secretive, in a completely evil sense.

These people are a part of the clique, a small close-knit group of egotists and loyalists who do not allow others to join them.

This set of people is merely a crowd linked by a common hidden evil agenda or interest.

It is more like a gang of imbeciles and evil retards who regularly associate together.

 

In reality, everyone knows they these people are like a pack of wild hyenas, who don't know how to really hunt but stay together to scavenge in a group.

They show as if they are part of the crew but are part of a tribal clan or a dirty club.

Sometimes they come across as a secret sect due to their unprofessional beliefs and actions which can be regarded as non-transparent, unfair and even dangerous.

These people are in the same camp and support the same top dog collectively.

The obnoxious cell comprising of the stooges in such companies is a small group forming a nucleus of unprofessional activity, typically a secret, subversive one.

These folks act like a caucus where they form a dirty group within an organization which meets independently in secret to discuss the trivia.

Caucus is supposed to discuss the strategy or tactics.

But the stooges are totally incompetent to discuss such things.

What they are good at, and very unfortunately, is spreading an air of exclusivity about themselves.

What they are also good at is spreading the message of their false sense of fake superiority in the organization.

And what they are also good at is creating a toxic and obnoxious environment in the circus which they proudly call as a company.

Essentially, these folks are toxic by nature.

They create a spider-web of toxicity.

And in the end, they create a toxic culture.

 

Untimely Death by Suicide of a Young and Talented Outsider

Just a few days ago, a young and talented actor in the Indian film industry died by suicide.

This untimely death is apparently a case of an outsider quitting the game of life after getting deeply hurt and frustrated by the dirty politics of the "insider club".

The Outsider versus the Insider Club

His death is not only untimely but also a wake-up call for every industry and every organization.

Every organization and every industry has its rules.

Unfortunaterly, most of the important rules that truly matter always remain unspoken and unwritten.

One of them happens to be the ill-treatment, subtle or otherwise, of the outsiders.

There is this "insider club" whose membership is strictly restricted to the previleged ones.

There is a secret pact between insiders, who are the high and the mighty and the well-connected in the game!

Those who are well-connected get access to exciting opportunities and offers from the other insiders in that organziation and also that industry.

The well-connected get their first work related break and subsequent chances also quite easily without much sweat and much effort.

Eventually, the insiders become self-appointed gatekeepers and very consciously and maliciously ererct a formidable barrier for the outsiders.

The way outsiders are treated by the insiders reeks of the insiders' blatant hyprocrisy, discrimination, shallowness and arrogance.

Some organizations are infected more with this kind of sick and toxic culture.

The head of such an organization and those in the "insider club" try to create the fake facade of the organization as one big happy family.

But beneath the shining facade there are deep cracks and gaping holes.

Ultimately, it’s each to their own.

And outsiders are under constant threat for their very survival.

When you work in such an organization you know your future is at the whim of the top dog there, the proverbial ringmaster of the circus that organization actually is.

Most outsiders keep on struggling but survive and stay alive.

Some outsiders are able to withstand the discrimination and humilation and are able to make a mark for themselves.

And that happens despite the fact that the sharks of the "insider club" in such an organization try their best to stop the outsiders from moving up the ladder.

Some of the outsiders not only survive and succeed but move very high up to become an insider.

And unfortunately, they end up joining the "insider club" and start doing the exact bad things they vehemently hated when they were not a part of it.

But, come what may, some outsiders never become insiders. 

They are simply shown around the inside, and howsoever talented and deserving they migt be, they are never offered a seat on the high table.

So somtimes, it is possible that an outsider might say, "enough is enough".

And they decide to "quit" the game of work they are engaged in, which is better.

Or at times, the game of life itself, which, from a philosophical, moral and ethical standpoint, is not really a good thing to do.

It hard to say whethere dying by choice through suicide is an act of strength or an act of weakness.

What is not hard to say is that the culture and work environment which led to that is certainly a sick and toxic one.

The person who has departed will never come back.

It is also true that those who were instrumental in creating a sick and toxic culture and work environment for the departed person will also not be there forever.

They will also need to depart one day.

And that day is not as far away as they think it might be.

It could be the next week.

Or the next day,

Or maybe the very next hour.

So they ought to be ready.

The famous English proverb "you reap what you sow " may or may not come true.

And the "insider club" may never get the punishment for their acts.

The departed may never get poettic justice for what happended to him and why he chose to depart the way he did or was perhaps forced to go that way.

However, those in the "insider club" will carry a stained conscience to their death-bed if that means anything.

There are many more "outsiders" out there who are struggling and still managing to survive.

God bless them and given them the stength and hope to carry on.

God bless the departed too, those outsiders who chose to quite.

May their soul rest in peace.

God bless those in the "insider club" also for they too shall pass.

And when the time comes, may their souls rest in peace too!

Some People Don’t Live Up To Their Own Word

Some people lie, plain and simple.

Some people lie more than the others.

Some people tell a white lie.

Some people sound vey genuine but are like wolves in the sheep’s clothing.

Some people make you think that there are still some gentlemen left in this world.

Some people give you a ray of hope that things are not all dark.

Some people make you want to believe in the goodness of human race.

Some people make you feel humanity is still alive and kicking, albeit it may be half-dead.

Some people are cunning to the core and lie without any feeling of fear and remorse.

Some people take you on the path where you believe things are all rosy and then it turns out that the roses are all gone leaving the thorns behind.

Some people are habitual liars and wily creatures.

Some people are well-versed in the dirty art of manipulation.

Some people give you their word and then then fail to live up to it.

Some people can sleep in night with a bad conscience.

Some people have misfortune befall them on account of their own evil acts.

Some people loose more than they save by lying.

Some people get into trouble as a result of their own bad “karma”.

Some people might be elated at their acting smart but in the end bring ruin upon themselves.

Some people cheat you without any feeling that what they are doing is wrong,

Some people get punished because they trouble others.

Some people deserve to be punished because they cheat others.

Some people make you lose your trust on the inherent and innate goodness of living beings.

Some people choose to embracer misery and despair by doing bad unto others.

Some people are simply bad.

Some people are crooks and do things which they should not do.

Some people do bad things and then simply must wait for bad things happen to them.

Some people get punished because they lie.

Some people tell a white lie.

Some people lie more than the others.

Some people lie, plain and simple.

Some people don't live up to their own word.

How Lala Companies Manage Things During a Crisis?

Lala companies are unique in a way that can make you sick, very sick.

During the times of a crisis, especially, their hollowness shines through clearly.

Though if one were attentive enough one can easily and clearly see their hollowness even during the normal times too.

In Lala companies., during any crisis, the hypocrisy and the hollowness are generally on a blatant display and in a much bigger way.

The effort is to stage-act the impression that the affairs are being managed in a seasoned and sensitive manner.

However, things happen in an absolute non-transparent manner.

There is a freeze on hiring but the communication around that is hazy and ambiguous.

The height of idiocy is such that hiring for open positions in a certain department are put on hold without consulting or informing the actual head of that department about the same.

Simply because, that head of department is a professional and not a part of the group of stooges in the company.

The ridiculous part is that the lala company is structured in a way that only the stooges get to know what is going on.

The stooges are insecure of their positions since they lack real competence, maturity and depth of thinking and can save themselves only by protecting their exclusive turf.

Hence true professionals in many senior positions in the company are kept in dark, and the silly stooges take decisions and run the company like a comedy show.

Things and communications are done or not done since the stooges do not know what needs to be done and what not.

For example, there is no communication related to the the yearly ritual of promotions and increments.

The fate of the yearly process related to promotions and increments is left to the imagination of the poor employees.

The employees are let to figure out and speculate on not only the above but many other things too.

After all, the employees have no where to go during the times of such a crisis.

So why bother?

In professional companies, on the other hand, there is a crystal clear and transparent communication on such matters and on related matters like job cuts, pay cuts, hike freeze or deferral, furloughs (mandatory leave without pay), etc.

The HR head in a Lala company is a pet dog of the top people and wags her tail when told to and as told to.

The key strategic  competency of the HR person at the helm is his ability to serve as a henchman.

This man is an anti-thesis of professionalism and strategic thinking.

He is an expert manipulator and extremely versed with the principles of hollowness and hypocrisy.

The top man and his stooges act as if they are the most brilliant managers the corporate world has ever seen.

They send out self-congratulatory messages mentioning their genius in anticipating the crisis and managing it better than the entire world!

They write condescending e-mails saying they did a great job.

They write silly e-mails highlighting simple tasks as significant accomplishments.

The mails written to all employees seem to excessively focus on enhancing personal connect and employee safety whereas another set of emails within a select group in the Lala company focus only on productivity of delivery and operations.

Why such a disconnect?

Looks like a general employee is assumed to be dumb whereas every employee these days has enough information at his disposal to see the chalk from the cheese.

Again duplicity and non-transparency are the key tools used to manage the affairs.

In professional companies, on the other hand, the e-mails written to all employees do focus on business continuity as much as they focus on personal connect and employee safety.

Professional companies treat their employee as equal partners in managing the crisis and hence assume that every employee knows business continuity is as important as employee safety if not more.

The Lala companies carry a condescending and patriarchal view that the top man and the stooges are the ones who are obliging others by taking care of them.

They fail to understand that this thought process reeks of hypocrisy and immaturity and professional companies treat their employees with maturity as equal partners in crisis management.

Alas, the Lala companies will never change.

The whole idea of creating an organization structure where loyalty and being a stooge is regarded as a core competency will never allow a Lala company to truly transform itself.

Once a Lala company and forever a Lala company.

One can only hope and pray that the Lala companies survive all and every crisis for a very simple reason.

The flaws and follies of the top man and his stooges should not impact the others.

The top dog and his pets can go to hell.

And they, in fact, deserve to go that way.

However, the employees in such companies deserve dignity and continuity of income.

They should not suffer.

The Manipulative Management

Another day.

Another e-mail.

Another nincompoop.

The same kind of crap and junk though.

Some companies believe in manipulation as the primary and the only tool of management.

They fail to realize that their manipulation is a direct and big give away though they would pretend it to be otherwise and think of their "cheap manipulation tactics" as a strategic act.

Act it is, but a completely silly one, and not strategic at all.

Other than these nincompoops who can see clearly but are in a denial mode, all others can see across and through their manipulation, just like one can clearly see across and through a piece of glass.

In the times of crisis and unprecedented situations, the real face of the leadership vacuum rears its ugly but true head.

You get to see who is in the coterie and who is not.

In the name of top management, many nonsensical things are taken up and taken ahead.

The nincompoops send mails one by one.

There is zero transparency and no prior information that is shared with anyone else outside the coterie before the chosen nincompoop sends the email.

The coterie is a like a secretive club of the insiders who all think highly of themselves though they are as lowly as anyone can ever be.

The crisis is used to make the nincompoops show their worth and importance.

It unfortunately ends up showing the other and opposite picture.

The flaws in the reporting structure also come out very clearly.

The communications provide detail of how great each of the nincompoop is.

And not only that but also how competent, efficient and energetic each one of them is.

It looks like, they are the ones who make not only the company but the entire country run.

The messaging is not only totally crass and silly but it smells badly of the high command structure which is firmly in place where the circus ringmaster is in full control of the clowns.

There is a dangerous pattern to all of it.

No is one is actually looking for the unwanted messages but they are sent nevertheless.

In such a company, the top man is the nincompoop number 1.

There are some more nincompoops who are actually like dogs wagging their wicked tails very swiftly in front of the nincompoop number 1.

Some times, some one else outside of the old boys club can be asked to do some silly stuff including writing a e-mail to promote the agenda of the top man.

The forced nincompoop has no choice to be a nincompoop.

Since no one questions the nincompoop number 1.

The permanent nincompoops are there because of only one thing - blind loyalty to the nincompoop number 1.

So if you are told be a temporary nincompoop you will have to do the same silly stuff that you would otherwise detest.

Be careful about that.

Keep an eye on what can happen.

The chance to be a forced nincompoop is very much there.

Be ready to get a taste of manipulative management.

And best of luck so that you get some positive motivation to survive the nonsensical things.

Stay alert.

Stay prepared.

And stay afloat.

The PQRSTUV of Bad Management

Bad management has a name.

Let us call it as PQRSTUV.

P stands for someone who would just piss you off and someone who is a silent conspirator with a deeply flawed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character.

Q stands for something about the company which would constantly quiz you.

R stands for someone who is sick and slimy and is, at the core, really a piece of stinking shit.

S stands for something about the company which would constantly shudder you.

T stands for someone who is stupid and silly like an ass and is a dog-like slave to his wily masters.

U stands for something about the company which would constantly upset you.

V stands for someone conceited and full of false pride and the wrong impression about being great when one is not even good.

The PQRSTUV of bad management is a sad reality in the small-sized, coterie-driven, lala-type companies.

These companies are managed by an old boys club and the PQRSTUV is really about those in the old boys club and about their attitudes and actions.

When you work in such a sick company some thoughts will quite often cross your mind.

How with presence of the PQRSTUV of bad management this company is still there?

How with such people at the helm this company is still around?

Perhaps, the eight wonder of the world.

Or rather the first wonder of the corporate world! 

Another Year, Another Sequence of Annual Events and Some More Precious Time Wasted

Another year has gone by.

And yet another, but same, sequence of rituals of annual company meet, annual company party, annual company off-site, annual awards, etc. just got over.

It is hard to say what was actually gained at the end of it.

One thing is clear though - some more precious time got wasted.

It is the same bloody shit that has been going on, year after year.

The same exact drama unfolded, once again, in exactly the same bloody sequence.

The clowns again led the show.

And blabbered about their greatness and the greatness of their creation in a drunken stupor.

The stooges meekly went behind the chief clowns in the same, stupid condescending manner.

More standardized list of awards were handed out again - best team, best individual contributor, best manager, best this, best that and what not.

The awards were handed over like lollipops given by the masters to the servants.

There were lot of claps.

There was lot of food.

And yes, there were drinks too sponsored by the owner-masters for all the employee-slaves.

The old boys club continued to display the same sense of sick camaraderie.

Those who were not a part of the inner circle were made to feel unwanted one more time.

The objectives, strategies and plans for the next year were drawn up in as mechanical a way as can be possible without much thoughtful consideration to the business needs of the hour.

The next year has now started.

More of the same things have started to happen one more time.

And very soon there will be another year, another sequence of annual events and some more precious time wasted.

And then the year after that.

This will go on and on and on.

Though change is the only constant, the more one changes the more one remains the same.

And that is true for most of the organizations.

Then there is this big question also.

If not this, then what?

Your Car Is Actually An Elephant?

You buy a new car.

And in the first few days, weeks and months you feel quite happy while driving your new car!

You can literally feel the freshness through the distinct smell emanating from the interiors of the car.

You make it a point to drive the car as much as you can.

What's the point in spending 12 Lacs INR in buying a car if you don't drive it as much as you can.

It's simply related to the principle of return on investment!

So you drive the first 1000 Kms in no time and get your 1st free service done.

You then plan to go for a long distance.

You enjoy the thrill of pushing the pedal to let your new car reach high speeds.

You feel elated by the acceleration in speed, especially when overtaking other vehicles on the road.

And then you reach the place you had planned to reach.

You drive locally and enjoy that experience also.

Then one fine morning, as you are driving on one of the roads near the place you are put up, you hear a sharp, quick and loud thud from the left back side of the car while taking a left turn.

After driving the same patch second time, you finally stop the car in front of the place you are put up.

Out of curiosity, you come out of the car.

You get down and out of the car and walk around to the left back side.

And you get a very big and unpleasant shock!

You see that the left back Tyre is totally deflated and the alloy wheel rim is also damaged.

You get a sick sensation passing through your entire being.

Oh my God, why this has happened to my new car?

The thought that something bad has happened crosses your mind.

And then somewhere in your head, a very subtle thought also passes through - welcome to the reality.

A new car will become old in some time.

A new car will be hit surely at some point in time.

Even if you drive very carefully, you will meet one or other accident.

You can only pray and hope that those accidents are minor in nature.

Though what kind of an accident you get involved with is not exactly totally under your control.

And then suddenly you think of an elephant.

An elephant will work for you but it needs to be fed regularly.

So is the case with a car.

Today the Tyre is gone, and with that you have lost 5000 INR in a jiffy,

Tomorrow it will be another bad thing that may happen.

Finally, you think about car and about elephant.

Do you have a car?

Is is really a car?

Or an elephant?

Actually, a car is just like an elephant.

You have to be prepared for your car to get dirty, to get damaged and to get "dented" and "dinged".

Just like your existence, the car also has a finite time period on earth.

In any case, the car registration period comes with a "valid till" date.

If you still don't believe that, do visit a nearby old car junk yard.

When you realize the deeper message from the above thoughts, you feel light.

This feeling of lightness is much better than the feeling of freshness you get while driving a new car.

In this materialistic age and world, we are enamored by the style over substance.

You then go back to the basics.

Why did you spend 12 Lacs INR in buying a new car in the first place?

What is the real return on investment you were seeking?

You note couple of things at this point of discovering the true return on investment:

• You bought a new and better car to get a better experience while driving, essentially in terms of features that deliver better vehicle stability & control, safety and comfort.
• You got only those essential accessories that really help
• seat cover (protect your OEM-fitted seats)
• door sill plate (protect door sills)
• car foot mat (protect the OEM-fitted carpet on the car floor). 
• steering wheel cover (enhance grip and protect the OEM steering wheel from sweat, oil and dirt)
• rear view camera (provide better visibility and hence higher safety while reversing your car)
• You realize the car door visor you had got fitted has turned out to be a wastage of money.
• its not really required for de-frosting the windshield and rear glass especially since your car already provides features to take care of both front and rear de-frosting.
• it is also not required for taking outside air into the car cabin in normal circumstances.
• it looks good and that's all there is to it, and spending for this thing is is never a good idea.
• The key thing is to focus on the experience you would get rather than the material that provides the experience.
• And finally, you should not be bogged down and bothered by small things that happen to the "material" part of the car as long as the overall experience is exhilarating.

What the above means is that there is no point in worrying about the Tyre damage or dents or dings.

Damages, dents and dings will keep on happening.

Your car will get dirty and damaged inside too, especially if you have kids, old parents or a wife who is not just totally complacent but uncaring too.

You should do your best to keep your car away from getting dirty, damaged, dented or dinged,

However, do not fret over "material loss to the car body and its various parts" and always remain relaxed to enjoy the "experience of driving a car".

Actually, in that sense, a car is just like an elephant.

You should focus on the experience when riding an elephant while also taking care of the elephant.

Similarly, you should focus on the experience when driving a car while also taking care of the car.

However, in case of a car, too much of focus on car as a "material" is not good.

Otherwise, you should not be driving a car in the first place.

And then what's the point in buying a new car?

Don't forget about the "car material" part but don't get bogged down by it as well.

Do remember about the "car experience" part and enjoy that to the maximum.

Do also be prepared to spend more when you car gets dirty, damaged, dented or dinged.

The above is the "elephant" part of getting the privilege to enjoy the "car experience".

So is your car really a car?

Or is it an elephant?

Company Managed Oops... Mismanaged By A Pack of Jokers

You would generally find a pack of Jokers in the game of cards.

Sometimes, however, in many organizations you would find that the so called "top management" is nothing but a pack of Jokers.

They act and speak in childish ways.

There are six of them.

Out of the the six, two are the first among equals.

They are the Main Jokers.

They like to be addressed as "boss" or "sir" and bloat like a balloon in false pride when addressed so.

The funny part is they ask so very funnily how come the company has this culture of using the terms "boss" and "sir".

The two Main Jokers maintain their control and micro-management over the affairs of the company.

One Main Joker is deputed locally while the other Main Joker maintains a close vigil from faraway in a different continent altogether.

The Local Main Joker manages the Mini Jokers whereas the Remote Main Joker watches the circus from a distance but sweeps in when asked by the Local Main Joker.

They are like two body and one act as far as lack of ethics is concerned.

The other four are the Mini Jokers who are there only due to their loyalty to the Main Jokers.

These Mini Jokers are given the command of different departments with no consideration for the fact that they lack the necessary competency.

The Mini Joker handling money and facilities for the company thinks of himself as superior to the other three Mini Jokers.

This man knows nothing about facilities but is a trusted man of the Main Jokers and hence does things he should not have been doing in the first place.

The man under this particular Mini Joker is another kind of Joker who is a class apart in the sense that he is very shrewd, extremely rigid and a highly arrogant person.

This Mini Joker does not come to the management review meetings and no one dares to ask him.

The Main Jokers are also scared of him as he knows all their dirty secrets and unethical acts.

Also, this Mini Joker has direct linkage to the fathers of the Main Jokers.

Yes, there are Supreme Jokers also in such companies.

You rarely see and hear from the Supreme Jokers.

They are the ones who are the Masters.

And operate the Main Jokers like puppets.

The second Mini Joker handles the people affairs.

This man is a complete stooge and a domain expert in how to wag the tail like a dog when needed as also when asked to.

He is an expert in getting hare-brained ideas not only in his area but also everywhere else where he has the least knowledge.

This Mini Joker is like the Pied Piper who leads the Main Jokers and also the Supreme Jokers down the garden path of comical company policies.

The company culture in such a pusillanimous and conceited set-up is based on loyalty and longevity and deliberate creation of artificial reporting lines.

However, this Mini Joker is totally incapable of identifying and addressing the core issues and creates a lot of hullabaloo around stuff or things that are totally superficial.

Then you have another Mini Joker who handles the information systems.

And by the way the Local Main Joker lets this Mini Joker do top-guidance on processes also, whatever nonsense that may actually mean.

The Local Main Joker is comfortable with people who when woken up in the night would say "yes sir" or "okay boss" as the first thing.

This Mini Joker snugly fits the bill on the above criteria.

And then last but not the least you have the Mini Joker who handles delivery operations.

He is a silent assassin.

He speaks in a manner that sounds to be highly professional but scratch the surface and you see only dirt underneath:

• He is not able to take decisions
• He is not capable of understanding core issue at work when something comes up
• He keeps silent when he needs to act
• He doesn't do the communications he is supposed to be doing and the Local Main Joker does that for some funny reason
• He acts as if he is superior to those heads of departments who are the real functional heads but for some silly  reason not part of inter-department meetings
• He doesn't take ownership of things he should be doing
• He has a coterie of pet stooges and he believe and trusts them completely

In such companies the Main Jokers and the Mini Jokers do many funny things such as:

• The Local Main Joker does inter-department meetings with only the Mini Jokers and without involving the heads of departments who are the actual heads handling that departmental affairs.
• The Local Main Joker brings up an issue with a Mini Joker in anther meeting but it is hard to understand that when they have agreed upon something in an earlier so called inter-department meeting what is the point to bring it up again.
• The Local Main Joker is highly unprofessional and likes the Mini Jokers who have been specially hand-picked and then trained to utter like  caged parrot just two things - "yes sir" and "okay boss".
• The Remote Main Joker is a man who likes to have complete control over things to the  extent that he even wants to decide where the comma needs to be in a sentence.

A company managed or rather mismanaged by a pack of Jokers.is a strange and suffocating place to work.

Do you know you are not in such a company?

In case you are, you are simply unfortunate and got to stay alert.

And should move out fast!

I Am In The Line And You Are Also In The Line

All of us are in the line.

But which line are we talking about here?

It is the line of those who will eventually die.

Everyone joins the line the very moment he or she or it steps into this world.

Never forget that.

Always remember, I am in the line and you are also in the line.

Nothing in this world is yours and nothing is mine.

We meander through life thinking all along that we will live for ever.

Life these days means just one thing, more and material success.

Success in today's world means name, fame and money and anything that others can see.

It is also sad that achieving material success in any manner and mostly by pushing others behind is supposed to be absolutely normal and in fact, considered to be highly desirable.

The connection of success with inner bliss and contentment doesn't mean anything.

In the end, however, material success, the whole of it, means nothing.

Whatever we achieve, immerses itself into nothingness.

Whatever we have, translates itself into meaningless.

The moment we realize that we are in the line and subsequently act with that realization, we will transcend ourselves from the happiness we get from material success to a state of real inner bliss and contentment.

It does not not mean that we don't need any "material" to live.

It just means that life is not meant to merely acquire "material" but rather life is meant to use "material" judiciously to achieve something far bigger and far better.

The above is like the role of Oxygen for human beings.

Human beings need oxygen to live, they don't live so that they get to inhale oxygen!

Knowing fully well, and at every instant, that we are in the line and also knowing fully well that one day our turn will be over provides a very powerful framework for living life.

You necessarily need to acquire some material to ensure you get a certain level of physical and mental comfort as you stand in that line.

However, as you stand in the line, you look above and beyond the notion that you need to live to acquire material success to the notion that you need to use material to live a better life.

Our days, as we stand in the line, are numbered.

We never count that though.

Let us assume a person were to live for 100 years and is 44 years old now.

That means she has spent approximately 16060 days and has another 20440 days to go.

The number 20440 is finite and will come to an end.

That is 100% certain.

Of course, at times, one can get priority treatment and may have to leave the line much earlier.

Given all of the above, it makes complete sense not to think that you are going to be around for ever.

It is totally sensible to live a life where you can achieve inner bliss and contentment.

How does that help?

It helps in just one, big way.

If you are blissful and content, you are always prepared to leave the line and merge yourself instantly into the nothingness, from which only you had actually come.

Bliss means there is nothing more you would like to do and acquire and achieve.

You are at peace and at ease with what you are at that moment and at every moment.

So if material success keeps on calling you and you don't realize at all that there is something beyond it then you must never forget the below.

Always remember, I am in the line and you are also in the line.

Nothing in this world is yours and nothing is mine.

Artificial Reporting Structure and Organizational Effectiveness

Right reporting structure is the sine-quo-non for organizational effectiveness.

And if that is not there in an organization it can severely impact the future existence of the organization.

Many organizations have instituted a reporting structure that can be called as "artificial reporting structure".

What is the meaning of artificial reporting structure?

As the word artificial suggests, something artificial is a thing that is created in an unnatural manner.

What is the problem if something is artificial?

There are, in fact, several problems such as:

• Something artificial will generally have serious inner contradictions.
• Something artificial is not sustainable in the long run.
• Something artificial lacks the elegance and pragmatism of the real thing.

An artificial reporting structure can manifest itself in following ways:

• Some of the people are in roles for which they have no competency other than loyalty and length of service.
• Some of the people have titles such as XYZ champion, ABC evangelist, etc. which are more like a garnish element in the organization chart.
• Some of the people occupy non-functional roles which have been created to satisfy their ego though they have reached a career plateau with no scope for any further growth, either lateral or vertical.
• Some of the people who are the actual functional heads have some other title while on the other hand those whose title shows they are the functional heads are merely figure-heads with no real value-addition.

The reporting structure in an organization needs to be right and appropriate so that it is functionally effective.

And that is a must so that it can eventually result in organizational effectiveness.

Visit to Narnaul - Dhosi Hill and Jal Mahal

Narnaul is a great place near Delhi to go and visit for a one day trip.

It is around 150 to 160 kms from Delhi and can be reached in 3 hours time by car.

The condition of the road is average to good.

For reaching Narnaul, you can take the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway NH48 (formerly called NH8) till Behror (which comes immediately after Neemrana) and then leave the NH to take the smaller road towards right at the Behror intersection point.

You have to be careful to stay left and come right under the flyover and then take the right just under the flyover to reach the road that goes to Narnaul.

Even after one leaves the NH, the road condition is quite good.

Though there are many places to see in Narnaul, on a recent family trip, I managed to just see two of them - Dhosi Hill and Jal Mahal.

Dhosi Hill

The first place I visited was the Dhosi Hill.

In many places on the Internet Dhosi Hill is incorrectly called as Dhonsi Hill.

It is actually Dhosi (or maybe Dhausi) and not Dhonsi.

There is no "n" in Dhosi or Dhausi Hill.

This hill has couple of temples and an extinct volcano site.

The trek to the the Hanuman template in the middle of the hill and then from there to the top of the hill is quite enjoyable as there is a proper track which is in an excellent condition.

Here are some of the photographs of the Dhosi Hill in Narnaul.

Jal Mahal

The second place I visited was the Jal Mahal in Narnaul.

This is the place Emperor Akbar used to frequent while passing through the Narnaul area.

When I visited, there was no water at all.

There was no "Jal" or water in the Jal Mahal.

Despite that, the whole place looked splendid even without the water.

Here are some of the photographs of the Jal Mahal in Narnaul.

When You Develop Infatuation For Your Subordinate

In your life, just like in every one's life, on one hand, you have your own set of needs, desires and dreams and on the other hand, issues, challenges and disappointments.

On the professional front, you are very good, in fact excellent, at the work you have chosen in your career.

Though you are good at your work and you really and passionately love what you do, the company and industry doesn't give much value to it since it does not generate cash for the business and the company.

You are actually stuck in your current organization since you have been trying, desperately too at times, but not getting anything better.

At the same time, you have reached the peak as far as your growth in that company is concerned.

You will never reach the next level in that company since it is a small shop run by a Lala and his coterie of old boys club.

In a Lala company, rules are followed or not followed, depending upon the convenience of the powers that be which includes the Lala and his stooges.

In fact, you shudder at the thought of going to the next level because then you have to be a "yes sir" person and be ready to do things that may not actually be quite ethical.

You see many folks, some of them reporting into you and some in other teams in that company who are just passing their time.

Many of these strange folks reach office late in a very leisurely manner, have multiple and long tea-breaks, have long post-lunch silly chit-chat breaks and leave dot at the close of official business day.

Basically doing a lot of non-sense at the expense of the company time but eventually wasting their entire life in trivial and silly stuff.

You are different and you don't do any of that non-sense.

However, you clearly realize that you have reached a point in your career where you work with zeal and passion only for yourself and not for the company.

So, at some level, you are happy with the current situation in your professional life.

Of course, things could have been better.

On your personal front, you are doing just okay.

You are married but not exactly happy with your spouse.

You believe in staying healthy so you take care of what you eat.

There are couple of physical wellness and health issues with you, some of which are genetic, that you have for quite some time and that you think you will be grappling with till the very end of your life.

You have high energy levels in all dimensions - physical, mental, spiritual.

Your have certain physical needs which come very naturally to you and you don't think there is anything wrong with that.

You are financially in a very strong position.

And you can actually retire tomorrow if you so wish.

One thing you always think of and that makes you feel settled and at peace with yourself is that "you will be dead one day".

The thought that your needs, desires and dreams and issues, challenges and disappointments are very transient and will disappear the day your die, makes you quite philosophical and at ease with your own self and your very existence.

However, overall, there are many things that bother you, make you unsettled and not at ease.

You feel unfulfilled and unsatisfied at times.

You also have several vulnerabilities.

And suddenly in the middle of all that is happening with you and around you, you get someone who joins your team.

You like that person though she happens to be your subordinate.

You very well know you can't cross certain limits as it will impact your professional life.

That person looks to be vulnerable and grappling with some personal and emotional issues.

As you see potential in that person from a competency point of view, you provide certain opportunities to her that you would have provided in any other case too.

You also start developing some sort of infatuation for that subordinate of yours.

Its hard to figure out the reason for that.

When you are with that person, you sometime have some thoughts which are somehow related to the emotional connect factors.

You even have physical attraction for that person.

However, you exercise complete control and caution.

You very well know the consequences that would follow if you were to cross certain boundaries.

That subordinate is not really very beautiful or attractive, but you find her to be attractive.

And you don't even know why it is so.

You like her sense of dressing and clothing.

You like her work-related competencies and performance.

You also have feelings for her due to her vulnerabilities.

You like the conversations you have with her.

You wait in the morning to catch a glimpse of her.

You like to be in meetings where she is  also there.

You even think of creating opportunities where you can be with her.

At the same time, you are different.

You are different and you don't do any non-sense.

You control your feelings, emotions, physical desires.

That is what you are.

You have needs, desires and dreams.

They do not control you though.

You are the one who is in complete control of your needs, desires and dreams.

That subordinate may go away tomorrow.

You know for sure that it will happen some day which may not be far away.

And you know it is just infatuation.

And you will be able to come around it.

It may result in you having some sort of feelings and thoughts which may bring you issues, challenges and disappointments

However, they do not control you.

You are the one who does everything possible to be in control of your issues, challenges and disappointments.

You may not fully succeed in that but you keep on trying your level best.

And then you realize you are just a simple, weak human being who is just trying to do your best to control what happens to you in your life.

The infatuation you have developed for that subordinate is something that you have to learn how to deal with.

You are clueless because the infatuation has come very naturally to you.

You think of getting closer to that subordinate and supposing she reciprocates your feelings, you even imagine that things would become more serious, and you would divorce your spouse and marry her.

That would not be alright though.

Or you may think of getting physically intimate with that subordinate and risk your professional life.

You very well know, in case things don't go the right way you may be in big trouble with respect to workplace harassment case being brought against you.

You also secretly wish you could get physically intimate with her and it stays just that way and stays just between the two of you.

You do know, however, that since she is not married, she may want any relationship of this sort to turn into a long-term commitment and marriage which may not be possible.

Also, you wonder, why would she be interested in getting physically intimate with you.

You have certain power over her and that may be all which is there but you might think of it as otherwise.

You may think you are getting some feelers at times but the signals could all be wrong.

Also, as you are very superior to her, she would do certain things on professional front simply because she reports into you.

When you develop such infatuation, it is a difficult situation to be in.

You have to be sensitive and sensible.

Let that infatuation remain just that.

Infatuation!

How Bewakoofi, Badtameezi, Badmaashi, Jaldbaazi and Laparwaahi Ultimately Result into the Same Thing

For understanding the deeper meaning of the title of this post, it is important to first and foremost understand the meaning of the following Hindi/Urdu words.

Bewakoofi - This means stupidity or idiocy.

Badtameezi - This means lack of good manners or uncouth behavior.

Badmaashi - This means doing a mischievous or malicious act.

Jaldbaazi - This means undue hurry or haste in doing something.

Laparwaahi - This means carelessness or lack of attentiveness.

So what is that same thing which the above ultimately result into?

The answer is Nuksaan, which means harm or damage.

What kind of harm or damage we are talking about?

Nuksaan or harm or damage could be across one or more of the following dimensions:

• Physical or bodily harm
• Loss of peace of mind
• Financial and material loss
• Reputation loss

And how does that happen?

All the above first lead to one or more of the following:

• You do things that ought not to be done
• You do things that ought to be done but not in the way they ought to be done
• You do not do things that ought to be done

All the above then, consequently and ultimately, result in some or other form of harm or damage.

If you are Bewakoof, you will do something stupid and invite harm your way.

If you are Badtameez, you will do something bad to others and invite harm your way.

If you are Badmassh, you will harm others and invite harm your way.

If you are in Jaldibaazi, you will not do things in the right way and invite harm your way.

If you are Laparwaah, you will forget to do the needful and invite harm your way.

What is the take-away from all this?

Very simple.

You ought to stay away from Bewakoofi, Badtameezi, Badmaashi, Jaldbaazi and Laparwaahi.

And thus ultimately manage to stay away from Nuksaan.

No Bewakoofi, Badtameezi, Badmaashi, Jaldbaazi and Laparwaahi, No Nuksaan.