Beautiful Days at Work!!!

‘Happiness is what you can’t earn till you find it in your own heart.’

‘Life is about Timing and everything is well-timed.’

‘When it gets complicated, restart from zero and keep it very simple’

I have flourished on these ‘Gyaan–sutras’ of Mr. Kumar and he has shared them so often, that I have learnt them by heart. They have actually stayed with me forever and have encouraged me in the turbulent times. In the age of soaring prices and low pay-packets, when the professional world thrives on deliveries, labor and slogging & specifically money rules our decisions; I know a work-a-holic person who inspires to work with zeal and alongside spreads goodness and happiness in the life of people. He is one who has abundance of positive vibes around himself and he is blessed to be called a master of words.

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I had just celebrated my 23rd birthday and was super-excited to start earning after my engineering. I had joined an MNC as futcha, a new- joinee, known as Graduate Engineer Trainee (GET) in the professional jargon. After making hay in my student life, glorifying it with fun, freedom and friends and wrapping it all in the backpack of pleasant memories, I realized it was high time to make something good of my life. I joined my first job with large dreams and larger goals. The induction days were charming to the hilt as the company top-shots and the HR promised plenty of hope and glories. I was enamored by the glamor of the private sector and was relieved that I had not been wronged in my choice of choosing it over the public sector.

During training period, I was given the privilege to attend various programming and brain-storming sessions and it enriched me with great experience and learning’s. The exposure was terrific and my sense of self-importance became incredible too. Very soon, six months flew in a jiffy and the honeymoon period came to an end. And thus, the reality of professional world alarmed me. The unbalanced work-distribution, very less connection and application of theory in the practical work, misuse of hierarchy, indifference of top management and hyped work pressure wiped off the gloss and glamor. The kind of work allocated to me did not inspire me either and I was disappointed to be caught in the rut of monotonous work. I do not know whether my batch-mates felt the same but it was more of a copy-paste world.

In my first assignment, my innovative ideas were not accepted and we were forced to work in a bogus way because the manager believed in making the team slog rather than attend it smartly. I also failed in impressing my manager with decorated conversations. Hence, I was doomed. On his part, he was only bothered about delivery dates and never bothered of his people. The team-leaders continued to be in the good books of the manager because they knew the art of talking to which I was a novice. In a year, I had come to make impressions of what the corporate world was about. A few top people were raking in tons of money and all the managers were deeply engrossed in scrambling, politicking and backstabbing for that next promotion. It hardly left them any time to worry about their subordinates. I had almost formed a view that goodness did not exist. However, I couldn’t escape because I was tied in a legal bond of three years with the company.

To my luck, one fine day, God pitched in. My ever-sulking boss resigned and made way for a new manager, Mr. Kumar. The new man was elegant, spectacled and bald. One thing that was really noticeable about him was that he had a friendly gesture and a cheerful smile.

One night, I was busy staring at my laptop and missed to notice the stealthy movements of Mr. Kumar. He had stood right behind me and had caught me staring at my laptop. He simply smiled and asked me to join him in his cubicle. I walked in.

Mr. Kumar- So Dear, what makes you stay back till late in the office?

I said, nothing specific Sir.

Him- So, you are preparing for some special examinations?

 Sir I was exploring it generally. (I spoke hiding the truth)

Him – May I know the truth? Before that I must tell you a fact that I have been closely watching every member of the team before I begin supervising it and I am glad to have you as a part of my team. I can see you have great coding skills. 

I was rejoiced to hear someone praise me for my work in the last one year.

I told him about my one year experience, of my failures and rejections. I also told him that I was not happy with my work and thus had started my preparations of public sector though I was not keen on it.

Mr. Kumar kept the smile glued to his face and gave the best talk of my life. He said…

“First thing start your day with beautiful mindset. Deliver your work with happiness.

Next believe in yourself. Keep doing your best, and don’t give up in any case. Believe me the rough weather will not last for long. Just when the laptop hangs, it gets complicated, the best solution is to restart it; same is with life.

If the previous experiences were not good, start again with simplicity. Don’t test yourself against petty issues like promotions and increments. They happen on their own.

Give chances to your decisions and let not failures direct them. And even if you feel that you want to try something different, always remember it will happen only when it has to occur; everything in life is well-timed.

You will definitely get your share of glory and fame; you must have a fire in you. I will never ask you to stop your preparations neither will I make a notion that you will not perform in your present role; I know you have the potential to do justice with both. But I want to let you know that everyone is unique and there can be no replacement for anyone.

Just do what your heart desires but never cease to be a thinker, an innovator and an entrepreneur in any of your future endeavors.

His talk had infused confidence in me and he had gifted me back my lost love for work.

We realized more in the days to come. Mr. Kumar was an amazing person. He was super-quick in picking our names, and took special interest in knowing us individually first. His way of handling things was hugely impressive. After my feedback, he acted on the problem areas. The forced stay-backs in office were suspended immediately.

The ability to get all sides of an important issue was one of his strengths. He listened, digested and really understood before he took a major decision on how to put our actions together. He was a master at involving each one of us because he believed that each one deserved a hearing. He said each brain and heart worked differently and had the potential to turn the tables; hence the winning idea could be anyone’s. He was brilliant in handling pressure and the team was absolutely in awe of his working style.

My days had never been so beautiful in the office before. It was a pleasant experience to work under Mr. Kumar’s guidance for the next fifteen months until he left for his better role. He made sure I had fallen in love with my work. More than that his ever-inspiring talk would always cast a charm on me. Not only me, he always encouraged the team members to fill their hearts with happiness and to value the essence of life. He was the best teacher of time management.

He is a remarkable person and a true entrepreneur indeed who not only excelled in his work but also managed his people with excellence. I am proud to say that I have known a man like him and best of all, he is still just a phone call away.

 

This is my entry for Chicken Soup for the Indian Entrepreneur’s Soul. I wish to get my story published in Chicken Soup for the Indian Entrepreneurs Soul in association with BlogAdda.com )

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