Are you the kind who's intensely conscious of what people think of you?
Are you the kind who's afraid to be seen relaxing coz you think it might reflect on you professionally?
Are you honest about your cynicism on certain issues? Even with those junior people considered 'impressionable'? Esp. with those you play boss to?
Do you suck up? Or delude yourself into believing that agreeing to everything the boss says = leveraging on their rich experience, even if you disagree? (we still call that sucking up, you know no?)
Are you afraid to refuse to do things you're asked to do when you don't see the value in them? Afraid people will think you are incapable vs. unwilling?
How much of yourself have you changed ever since you started out at this job? How much of that is good change?
Have you stopped questioning while you were once curious? Stopped wondering about the right thing to do, when you once challenged directives?
Does it just feel easier to go with the flow and let it be management's call instead of belaboring your point and convincing them, turning the tide? Do you find that tedious? Or refreshing?
Do you cringe when someone tells you "my boss thinks...." and make that their primary argument when they're getting paid good money to use their brain to conjure up arguments of their own?
Do you LOL secretly when you hear this clueless person who has no solid facts to cite and so prefixes big adjectives to their nouns when they do public speeches? Like "This initiative will REALLY step-change the future of this business..."...do you?
Does it kill you to see grown up folks shedding every ounce of integrity and changing stance each time the big boss disagrees? Omg, are you one of them?
Do you also lament seeing bright young people who were hired for their "fresh perspective" so easily giving up independent thought process to blend in and feel more accepted?
Do you like the people you work with? Would you get through a whole meal with them and enjoy yourself even? Look forward to being around them socially? Do you feel like they're people you can trust?
Do you see people around you with oodles of potential, all smothered by the opinions of the person they work under?
Do you include in your conversations that quiet girl who always takes the corner seat at dinners/ lunches and doesn't say much ? Do you notice her at all?
Do you treat others with respect and in turn earn some for yourself? Do you command it or demand it?
What kind of person are you at work?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
All that is my work environment to me! I could not bring myself to have that holistic view. This is a great post. I realized how a varied person I have been in doing and being all that you have mentioned. Also, it is interesting to note that in my earlier days I could easily fix myself in one of those buckets. But over the course of time, yes, I have experienced all of it! Coming of time I suppose.
For me, the kind of person I'm at work is greatly influenced by my boss, and that's why it's such a big deal for me to be able to find people I respect and can get along with. Thankfully, today I do have the kind of team which encourages me to be the most productive I can be!
CC: Thanks :) Those are things I see around me on a daily basis despite working in what I think is an incredible organization :) Day in day out, I hear people crib about parts of this .. figured might as well do a post :)
Penguin: Tell me about it! My bosses do largely affect how I feel about work ... but as you grow more senior and independent, there's other functions and teams that you start interacting with MUCH more and hence noticing traits of ... that's when the boss stops being AS influential to my general well being :)
when your subordinates are friendly, curious vietnamese and you tell stories even to thin air, it's a perfect match! for something called work, it can be good sometimes. here expats from work are socially very close. when things are good, it works great, and when things go sour, it's the worst. it's like being happy or depressed in a b-school hostel.
very thoughtful post.. i wonder if it is possible to succeed in any measure at work without succumbing to atleast some of the listed traits albeit without choice... It is I suppose dependent on the person's definition of success to an extent but traditional corporate success requires some of these unless the corporate culture itself provides no incentive to be this way - which is unrealistic unfortunately.. as human behaviour is much the same..
Wanderer: :) where have u been? Oh wait! Vietnam!! :) I'm meeting ur bro soonly :)
FSK: Thanks .. and yes I know .. only an utter idealist could get through work life and not be any of those at any point in time ...
Yes, I lament seeing bright young people giving up independent thought process to blend in and feel more accepted.
And yes, I see people around you with oodles of potential, all smothered by the opinions of the person they work under. At one point of time, that group included me!
I have to say this again - 'Korangu vesham potta, adithann aganum' (Roughly translates to 'Be a Roman while in Rome')..
There are two sets of people and hence opinions on these, I guess. The ones who are the bosses' blue eyed boys/girls, and the ones who wonder why they aren't yet the bosses' blue eyed ones..
Post a Comment