The roaring of the clouds is so rare in the capital city of India; amused and enticed, I came out in the balcony to feel the first brush of the much awaited monsoon. Tiny clouds enamored with the shimmering droplets of the water were frolicking in the dark sky like the kids playing the hide and seek game on a cloudy summer evening. Just below the shades of my balcony, a mother cat was trying to shield its kitten from the barrage of unkind and untimely rain. Spellbound by the fascinating sight of love and affection I rushed inside to bring my camera. Alas-they vanished faster than the flush light, leaving me bewildered and bedazzled. Perhaps these lovely felines could not trust a stranger armoured with a friendly gaze and moving surreptitiously with a supposedly dangerous object in his hand
Enlightened by the act of distrust, I returned back to my desk thinking about the complex subject of the ‘Human Relationship’ that impacts all of us in the parallel worlds of our lives (comprised of personal and professional worlds – ‘State of the Nirvana’ is excluded for the sake of simplicity). We experience the similar responses and rebukes in our day to day interactions with the acquaintance, and associates. Out of shear curiosity to explore the subject further, I turned to a selfless granny with a weird name ‘Google’ who reveals the treasure of the truths hidden behind the pile of obvious. Comprehending the granny’s musings is not a child’s play –one needs to know the art of sifting the obscure from obvious I entered the word ‘Human Relationship’ on the ‘Google’ and the information erupted like the emotions of a melancholy poet. The phrase ‘Interpersonal Relationship‘ caught my attention amid the clutter of the information piled up on the screen. Wikipedia defines 'it as an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring’
The definition hanging on the screen reminded me of the corporate world obsession with the catchy phrase ‘Interpersonal Relationship’. Organisations spend huge sum of money in training the people to learn the methods and magic of building the same fleeting or enduring relationship. Necessity of imbibing the skill of the ‘Interpersonal Relationship’ from the perspective of the professional life is augmented by its role in providing impetus and stimulus for the career growth. The question that is haunting me for the last few years emanates from my inability to forge a resilient relationship that could withstand the tides of tough times
Going by the rationale and raison d'être passionately explained by the 'Human Resources Mangers' of the organisation through powerful and boasting presentations, I would have mastered the subject of ‘Interpersonal relationship’ after having spent the humongous amount of time in learning, exploring and understanding the ways to execute the transactions of the lives smoothly. Doesn’t the training on the subject starts from the day a child is born? Baby starts recognizing the face of his mother probably not later than a month of his birth, he turns his head in the direction of her voice; his keen bright eyes follow her footsteps, smile returns to his cherubic face when he hears a known voice around him. The innate ability to distinguish the trusted voice from the cacophony is learnt by him before his precious and tottering first step of life brings joy in the lovely little world around him. For the people having spent the childhood in the Indian joint family setup, informal behavioral training and guidance comes from the grandparents and elders They keep teaching us the art and science of acting ,reacting and responding to the complex conundrums of life.
I must stop and make a candid confession - albeit the necessary behavioural trainings of the childhood mentioned above, I could not learn the skill of differentiating the ‘Act of Credence’ from the ‘Acting of Assurance’ while negotiating the blind turns of the corporate world . Perhaps my methods are obsolete, possibly my skills are blunted in the dust of time, probably my responses are not sharp, perchance I am not equipped to handle the acts of the corporate theater where façade is more important than the purity of the character, where ‘Glorious manifestation of self ‘ is considered to be a just synonym of the ‘Humble presence'.
The competition is hotting up, swords are rattling in open- I ought to learn the skills of relationship building before I am thrown in the dustbin of the obsolescence. A few successful footprints are visible with the naked eyes. Some options for the easy wins are also available with a few conditions(much easier than the IMF loan terms and conditions for the developing nations)- I need to crush my rebellious inner voice, I must follow the steps of the virtuous homo sapiens walking around my invisible shadow. Dynamic challenges of the modern business environment requires astute professionals who can build ‘Quick fix Relationships’. Skills have to be rejigged, tools need to be modernised.Duly tested and certified tool kits such as ‘Lie without Regret’, ‘Fake without Guilt’,’ Exhibit without Shame’, ‘Act without Compunctions’, ‘Boast without Substance’, ‘Goad without Empathy’ among many others are readily available for grab. And here cometh the multipurpose tool ‘Sing paean for the wise men occupying the seats of power’. This may not assure sustainable relationship but it guarantees short term successes and enough medallions
Nay! But my objective is to gain the necessary skills for developing trust worthy relationship, not just winning the gold and silver medals for metaphorical '100 meter race' of life . I know the world we have inherited, cannot be seen through the prism of black and white, I understand that the sacrifice of the ‘Belligerent Ego’ at the altar of the ‘Good Relationship’ does not assure the successful return, I admit that extending the bouquet of respect and politeness may not help winning the trust ,I recognize that niceties and pleasantries can be taken for granted by self proclaimed smart souls but I am assured that the structure of relationship resting on the heap of untruths, guile and chicanery cannot sustain and will fall like a castle raised on sand.
Trust is the cornerstone of the human relationship and I shall continue applying the same old methods to win the trust of the people around. I would extend my hand of friendship even though at times it will remain unsolicited and flying in the thin air. Building trust takes time and I hope lovely felines will pose for the camera next time
Enlightened by the act of distrust, I returned back to my desk thinking about the complex subject of the ‘Human Relationship’ that impacts all of us in the parallel worlds of our lives (comprised of personal and professional worlds – ‘State of the Nirvana’ is excluded for the sake of simplicity). We experience the similar responses and rebukes in our day to day interactions with the acquaintance, and associates. Out of shear curiosity to explore the subject further, I turned to a selfless granny with a weird name ‘Google’ who reveals the treasure of the truths hidden behind the pile of obvious. Comprehending the granny’s musings is not a child’s play –one needs to know the art of sifting the obscure from obvious I entered the word ‘Human Relationship’ on the ‘Google’ and the information erupted like the emotions of a melancholy poet. The phrase ‘Interpersonal Relationship‘ caught my attention amid the clutter of the information piled up on the screen. Wikipedia defines 'it as an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring’
The definition hanging on the screen reminded me of the corporate world obsession with the catchy phrase ‘Interpersonal Relationship’. Organisations spend huge sum of money in training the people to learn the methods and magic of building the same fleeting or enduring relationship. Necessity of imbibing the skill of the ‘Interpersonal Relationship’ from the perspective of the professional life is augmented by its role in providing impetus and stimulus for the career growth. The question that is haunting me for the last few years emanates from my inability to forge a resilient relationship that could withstand the tides of tough times
Going by the rationale and raison d'être passionately explained by the 'Human Resources Mangers' of the organisation through powerful and boasting presentations, I would have mastered the subject of ‘Interpersonal relationship’ after having spent the humongous amount of time in learning, exploring and understanding the ways to execute the transactions of the lives smoothly. Doesn’t the training on the subject starts from the day a child is born? Baby starts recognizing the face of his mother probably not later than a month of his birth, he turns his head in the direction of her voice; his keen bright eyes follow her footsteps, smile returns to his cherubic face when he hears a known voice around him. The innate ability to distinguish the trusted voice from the cacophony is learnt by him before his precious and tottering first step of life brings joy in the lovely little world around him. For the people having spent the childhood in the Indian joint family setup, informal behavioral training and guidance comes from the grandparents and elders They keep teaching us the art and science of acting ,reacting and responding to the complex conundrums of life.
I must stop and make a candid confession - albeit the necessary behavioural trainings of the childhood mentioned above, I could not learn the skill of differentiating the ‘Act of Credence’ from the ‘Acting of Assurance’ while negotiating the blind turns of the corporate world . Perhaps my methods are obsolete, possibly my skills are blunted in the dust of time, probably my responses are not sharp, perchance I am not equipped to handle the acts of the corporate theater where façade is more important than the purity of the character, where ‘Glorious manifestation of self ‘ is considered to be a just synonym of the ‘Humble presence'.
The competition is hotting up, swords are rattling in open- I ought to learn the skills of relationship building before I am thrown in the dustbin of the obsolescence. A few successful footprints are visible with the naked eyes. Some options for the easy wins are also available with a few conditions(much easier than the IMF loan terms and conditions for the developing nations)- I need to crush my rebellious inner voice, I must follow the steps of the virtuous homo sapiens walking around my invisible shadow. Dynamic challenges of the modern business environment requires astute professionals who can build ‘Quick fix Relationships’. Skills have to be rejigged, tools need to be modernised.Duly tested and certified tool kits such as ‘Lie without Regret’, ‘Fake without Guilt’,’ Exhibit without Shame’, ‘Act without Compunctions’, ‘Boast without Substance’, ‘Goad without Empathy’ among many others are readily available for grab. And here cometh the multipurpose tool ‘Sing paean for the wise men occupying the seats of power’. This may not assure sustainable relationship but it guarantees short term successes and enough medallions
Nay! But my objective is to gain the necessary skills for developing trust worthy relationship, not just winning the gold and silver medals for metaphorical '100 meter race' of life . I know the world we have inherited, cannot be seen through the prism of black and white, I understand that the sacrifice of the ‘Belligerent Ego’ at the altar of the ‘Good Relationship’ does not assure the successful return, I admit that extending the bouquet of respect and politeness may not help winning the trust ,I recognize that niceties and pleasantries can be taken for granted by self proclaimed smart souls but I am assured that the structure of relationship resting on the heap of untruths, guile and chicanery cannot sustain and will fall like a castle raised on sand.
Trust is the cornerstone of the human relationship and I shall continue applying the same old methods to win the trust of the people around. I would extend my hand of friendship even though at times it will remain unsolicited and flying in the thin air. Building trust takes time and I hope lovely felines will pose for the camera next time
