Management By Stories: The Birth Of A Man Manager

Epilogue

Anand, the Project Chief of a MNC decides to reach out and connect himself with his previous birth (?) when he was an Executive in the project team working in the same organization.

He resolves to be more humane in his approach and operate with empathy while dealing with his team members. Ofcourse he will wield the stick when required in the greater interest of his team but will certainly take care that it neither hurts nor humiliates at a personal level.

His wife a teacher sees in her children both at school and at home her earlier birth (?) as a student and as a daughter and vows to be friendly, fair and yet firm while wielding the stick!!

And his daughter a fresher at the university who got royally ragged at the campus this year by the seniors, swears not to take the sweet revenge next year when the role reversal would happen and she will be referred to as "senior" by the green horns.

Rahul who works as an Associate in a retail store is convinced that he will be definitely different in his next birth (?) as a Supervisor!

The poem

The dog in me – here and now

This stray dog stared at me
As if he knew since ages, me!

I at first decided to ignore
For I knew what was to the animal in store.

The stones strewn around were as enough
To give it a treatment tough enough.

Even as I was about to pelt
As in the past on such times I had dealt.

That stranger an old man from the street rushed across
For he was at his reasons end and loss.

"Why injure the poor animal "was his fervent plea
"If you believe in next birth and the role change for the world to see ".

Me as the dog and the dog as me!
The stone in its hand and aimed at me!!

I dropped the stone no doubt to his delight
And stared at the old man meeting his sight

"In the last birth; that dog was me and I was sadly it
Who hurt me with these same stones sharply hit?

And now it’s my turn
To give back in return.

What hit me last birth, here and now
For I too believe in rebirth and the moment is now ".

The stranger, an old man without words walked across
Upon my strange logic as if quite engrossed.

I felt nice that I had poured out
My inner feelings which were seldom out.

And then suddenly I sensed a new connection
With that dog as if I knew it for generations

For I could see and feel the dog in me
And more than that ‘the me’ in the dog impacting me.

I left the place silently pacing out and away
Patting the dog gently and let it go about its way.

Prologue

Whoever said, "Dog is man’s best friend when in need
Did label it just right for the learning indeed.

Well, we tend to do unto others what others have done unto us and admittedly most times it’s the positive stroking that takes the constructive demonstrative effect. So far so good.

Yet there are times and situation when we unwittingly get to the wrong side of the humane approach and start getting even with our people at work (like the boy who was bent upon pelting the stone) on the rationality of ‘ this is how I learnt, the hard way ‘. Afterall is it not common wisdom that what hurts instructs? And why should I spare the rod?

The protagonists of this philosophy will go on with their arguments in defense of their approach but then….

The food for thought here is; what we learnt the hard way during our times, smart guys of the present and next generations may find it amusing and at times will not be able to appreciate the approach.

May be we need to have a different approach to the new generation folks and in any case it’s of no advantage or avail in quoting history for it’s not necessary that history should repeat itself all the time.

And finally, if this story triggers a thought process to re-look at your style and approach to man management, thank the boy!

Wishing you a happy reading.

Mohan Prasad
mohanprasad04@yahoo.com