Big impediment to growth - EGO

Few days back I got an SMS which read – Management is defined in the word itself – MANAGEMENT - If you remove T it becomes ‘MANAGE’ ‘MEN’ & if you remove N it becomes ‘MANAGE’ ‘ME’ (ego)..EGO – The word itself sounds so negative..You get those negative vibes when you see or hear about it..( I am sure people who actual display also would be in a very uncomfortable state deep down somewhere) It is nothing less than a crime to possess and display ego & is a deterrent to growth of an individual, his team (or family) & the organization..I’ve been working since last 7.5 years (decent time to come across different kinds of people) in the corporate world and have come across some of the most ego centric people..Their typical characteristics are:-

1) They think they are the best & know everything
2) They find it derogatory to speak to their juniors (don’t even bother to say Hi or Good Morning...)
3) They would like to be distinguished and would always want special treatment ( very commonly seen in the corporate world)
4) The ego clashes of two or more senior individuals can lead to a catastrophic effect on the group. Leads to unnecessary clashes and the targets are not met & objectives not solved...( which is just not felt by these people)

Some classic scenarios & examples:

1) ‘I would like to be called Sir and have an objection if people call me by name’ –> Let us tell these people that we know it is in our culture to respect our seniors but it doesn’t come by calling Sir (It won’t solve the purpose if one calls Sir and deep down his heart hates him/her) & how can an individual have an objection in being called by his own name..(I must say that it doesn’t mean that you should not say sir to anybody..Rather I would say that it should be left to the individual how he wants to call his senior..I myself call some individuals by Sir because I genuinely feel that they are Sirs for me.)

2) I have X years of experience and know much better –> Well this is preposterous in today’s context..The new generation is far more exposed so they have a quite a few things to offer new on the table..Let us be open to learn and from anybody for that matter..A seven year old kid can teach us many things today..

3) Why should I contact him/her? I am the senior..Let him approach me.. –> Umpteen examples seen daily on this approach displaying oodles of attitude..Only kills time & may be becomes a costly approach..Can be used as a cost saving tool if we shed our egos here

4) In an individual’s personal life –> There are lot of problems just coz of ego -Husband Wife relation, Father son relation & the combination can be between anybody with anybody..& the reasons can be many & very trivial but we land up in uncompromising state and are ready to lose the relation but not our ego..How foolish can we get?

The list can go on & on..The moot point is that how many of us are now doing this without realizing? It has reached our subconscious mind and the ego layer is so strong that it just does not go easily.

One also doesn’t realize that when he/ she displays such attitude it percolates down to his younger ones in the family, his team members in the office/ group and in his social network also ..You will see lot of cases where an ego centric individual will have people working under him who develop such attitude..Mind you this also happens more out of frustration..

You can’t expect people to love you & like you if you are nothing but a bundle of ego..These are nightmarish experiences which one doesn’t want to get into..All I request from my readers is that let us be gentle , open, soft & approachable..If we are then there will be a different world for us..Let us bring this change..It is the need of the hour.
I learnt a very good lesson from my friend Ravindra Jaiswal few days back & it is :-

There are four kinds of people in this world:-
1) Momentum Maker – Who initiates a positive approach for a set target
2) Momentum Taker – Who accepts the approach & are glad to work on it
3) Momentum Faker – Who on the face say yes but actually don’t do anything

4) Momentum Breaker - Who on the face of it disagree and are not interested in the approach.

Let us ensure that we fall in the first two categories for all positive & fruitful approaches & should never land in to the momentum faker category..

Would urge all of you to think on this area and may be discuss the same with your colleagues, family members, friends etc.. ( It isn’t that we are always correct – I myself have displayed ego but the fact is whether do we realize & correct ourselves or not..Thanks to all those who guided me when required to make the change)

The way forward..Ideas to Execution !!

Few friends called me after my first post & asked me common questions like:-

1) Why blog?

2) What do u intend to post in the coming times?

3) What will be the frequency of your posts?

Would like to answer the above three questions:-

1) Advantages of blogging can be googled on net or may be one can read in magazines or newspapers but you need to blog it to believe it !!

2) Would like to touch upon areas which are of prime importance for all segments & age groups of the society

3) As of now will post only once a week but may be after some time will make it twice a week (Also I must admire all those who posts their blogs daily..Much easier said then done..U need to get into it to understand that it does require lot of time & thinking)

Now would like to share a very novel idea which is posted on Linkedin in a group named - India Leadership Network..This is on Leader’s Friday. This Friday 11th September we are going to see lot of groups in different cities of different countries flocking together on a new platform of Leader’s Friday..The agenda of the group is to share new ideas, their experiences & think different ways of contributing something to the society..

We had an informal meet (few of us in Pune) to chalk out plans for the meet. What amazed me was to see the enthusiasm of people from all age brackets & background for this meet.Mails pouring in, young students willing to join & experienced professionals giving their valuable inputs. I am really excited to be a part of this group & look forward for some meaty work!! You can visit the site http://www.indialeadership.net/leadersfriday/ to know more about the same..

This brings me to a point that is it only about coming up with a idea or is it something much more ? Is it just shooting a thought in the dark or do we need to do something more?The litmus test is in execution. An idea is like your thumb and its execution your thumbprint. Think about it for a moment, even though your thumb looks like everyone else’s, your thumbprint is different, it’s your identity. Similarly, ten different people might have the same idea but the way they execute it will be unique to them. This is where you play the game your way, and prove your mettle.

The amount of effort you put into your actions will equal to how big your win is. With the flow of information increasing at a rapid pace we will have ideas & new approaches hitting our mind but how do you execute that on ground will be the biggest challenge .There are companies that talk a lot about awareness but there are a few which come up with campaigns like Jaago Re of Tata Tea!! Sam Walton of Wal-Mart and Michael Dell of Dell Corp. as the foremost examples of individuals who have understood how ramping up the “velocity” of inventory turnover can allow companies to flourish on narrower margins. They had a simple idea but executed it brilliantly..POWER OF EXECUTION

Till date, India, unlike China, executes with crisis as states are forced into action by market pressures building up. This response-led strategy has not been a good model for growth. We are in a new era of speed. Montek Singh Ahluwalia has pointed out that India has moved from a time when growth was at 3.5% every year, while population grew at 2%, which meant per capita income doubled every 45 years. But now, he notes, growth of 8 to 9% and population growth at less than 1.5% means that our per capita incomes are doubling every nine years. Such growth is coupled with rising aspirations, and is fuelled by media in a country where television sets are quickly becoming ubiquitous.

We only have a dim comprehension of what this pace of change means in terms of how we will cope with challenges in our environment, energy, health and infrastructure sectors.But we can have a much better comprehension if we start executing in a much better way !!

Let us take a pledge to execute today for a better tomorrow ..