In our professional life, attitude towards work is very important. Neither the current educational system is being able to teach this aspect with correct light, nor the so called executive development programs can show a true picture of it. Not only our professional success depends on it but also it impacts the quality of our personal life. You can not learn it from the work place also very easily, as it is having its own agenda to fulfill and many time, it goes against individual's holistic growth importance, some time it even encourages wrong attitude of an entity for its own survival need. The only way to realize the right attitude to work is, through our own soul searching.
First thing I would like to bring up, due to its importance in present time, avoid temptation of the rat race to climb up in the pyramid structured society. Human society always has a pyramid structure, in any age, in any country, at any place of the world, it is like that. You may call it communist society, socialist, capitalist, tribal community, cast classified society,..... whatever, human society always maintains a pyramid structure and it will be like this at anytime of humanity. In this structure to ensure your place at the upper level, you have to make sure many people bellow work for you. In different ages it has been practiced by different methods, now in this present age of democracy, how this structure works ? By trying to keep the bottom level people motivated in a race of moving up. When a young, fresh management graduate is told in his Boss’s or Boss’s boss’s cabin, only your hard work can bring you in this cabin with a beautiful view, that’s exactly what he is doing. The same is true when an youngster is motivated by Great American Dream. I don’t want to debate on, is it right or wrong. My take on this is you understand the structure, accept the structure but don’t fall into its trap.
Last paragraph when I talk about the hard work it may appear too negative, but I didn’t mean that, what I mean only hard work doesn’t ensure this climbing, if somebody says it, he is lying, there are lot more factors and incidents, which do contribute to get an opportunity to raise up, all may not as negative like doing favor to boss or playing workplace politics. It may be your work gets sudden lime light because of any changed situation, may be there is a vacancy in the organization where your personality will fit the best, even your frequency matches nicely with boss, naturally, it is more of situation dependent. Is it wrong to accept it that point? No, let the opportunity to go, is not at all a positive attitude. But what may be wrong, which may cause suffering to us is, if you fall in the rat race or work extra hard to ensure win in this rat race. Misunderstanding and wrong interpretation of this fact, I have seen a global phenomenon of current time. A key quality to be successful is an attitude to remain open and be ready for opportunity but don’t run behind it. Let it come on its natural way, because that’s how the professional world works.
So when I try to answer myself, with what intension we should do our everyday job ? My answer will be the same what I told many of my juniors in my professional life.
At the end of any working day, think, is my output is justified to the money I have been paid. And ask yourself what new skill or knowledge I have learned today, which I can use in future not necessarily in this present organization but has an universal demand. Do this self analysis and let the day end with a smile.
Just like what my favorite poet Rabindranath Tagore said in one of his poem :
Mitiye debo becha kena …sanga habe lena dena ei ghate… (When all my old debts would be paid When I, the barter, would end all trade…..)
One thought just crossed my mind remembering this poem. I met a person in Italy whose wife selected this poem to put on her cemetery when she will die, she can’t speak English, original Bengali version obviously not, only read the Italian version of Gitanjali. And so much moved by the deep thoughts and the amazing positive sense towards death behind these words….Jakhan porbe na mor payer chinya ei ghate..
When my steps would touch this bank no more
When my steps would touch this bank no more,
When my life’s canoe I would row no more,
When all my old debts would be paid
When I, the barter, would end all trade
When beholden I would be to none.
When no feet will tread on this bank no more
In your minds my thoughts may not bore
Gazing at the stars you may not recall my forgotten tale.
When my steps would touch this bank no more
When dust would coat the unused lyre
And thorny bushes would adorn my bower
The garden would be decked in grass
The flowers would be a forlorn mass
When slime would cover the riverbed
For no more on the bank I would tread
In your minds my thoughts may not bore
Gazing at the stars you may not recall my forgotten tale.
When my steps would touch this bank no more
The flute will hum its mellifluous tune
And time will flow in its course seriatim
The flute will hum its mellifluous tune
New vessels would line the bank everyday
The sol would flood its iridescent ray
The cattle would graze each day
In that field the shepherd would play
In your minds my thoughts may not bore
Gazing at the stars you may not recall my forgotten tale.
When my steps would touch this bank no more
Who says that dawn I wouldn’t see?
In that frolic I would be
In a new name you would call me
In your new embrace drawn I would be
In the new world I would come and go
Then your minds my thoughts may not bore
Gazing at the stars you may not recall my forgotten tale.
When my steps would touch this bank no more
These small small incidents in my travel around the globe reinforced my belief, true human values have universal appeal.
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