Anonymous-but tasty gossip!

Informal networks are very powerful in most organizations. In fact a lot of times we believe in an unknown reliable source than the official communication published or circulated. The reason for this is simple " Official communications are cut and dry with no room for reading between lines. Unofficial news is speculative and is free for the receiver to apply his own thinking/variations...personal choice exist in informal networks. One can decide to spread or not to. The choice is in most cases-let me do my bit".
A strong hierarcial company with an administration focus will say "Gossiping is not allowed as it is dangerous". Infact by saying this we stimulate the informal network than stop it. More we try to control more it spreads. More we formalize informal networks and acknowledge maybe we can tap some creativity in employees. Examples can be Alumni networks of people who resign from a company. A formal exit interview maybe very scientific but maybe employees don't elaborate their feelings well. But the jokes in Alumni network which come out shows the weaknesses a company needs to address. A lot of CEO's have started blogspots with a view to directly connect to employees by formalizing the informal channel. But a lot more still feel that this opens can of worms. Sure if we own a can of worms the fear is real. If we assume a can of worms better we test it. It requires courage to open this channel. Personally for those we feel lonely at top surely need to have this discipline to start the informal network working and contributing creatively.
Tasty gossip is anonymous-but it can be a fast track to change management in old style cultures as it is a culture shock. There will be a few who will be comfortable...but we are not here to make everyone comfortable all the time. We need to make the change...and if tasty gossip paves way why not use it?

The Don Quixote in me!

I went to Apollo for a routine medical check up today. When I was standing in the cash counter an old lady approached me with a request that she has Rs.100 short to buy some medicines for herself and will appreciate help. I looked at her face and recognized it was the same lady who approached me in May end when my mother was operated in Apollo. I asked her " Didn't you approach me with the same request 2 months ago?" She said " Maybe". I was very annoyed that I was cheated. So I caught hold of her and asked the security to bring to the Administration Manager who was my friend. In the room we started the enquiry. She was very stoic. On persistent questioning she said "Why are we making a fuss for nothing?" Then she came with a story that 2 years before when she fell ill her son took her here and gave some money for buying medicine. When she found she had some shortage of money she asked someone casually and got it immediately. She found it better as it was easy money from richer people. So she comes once a week to get some money and she really buys medicines for this. We still did not believe the story. So we asked her the phone no of her son. She was very reluctant to give it. We persisted. Finally she gave the number and we called. The other side was surprised at this and said he runs a old age home where his mother is assisting him. He said he did not know about this habit of her mother. He wanted to come immediately to meet her as he said she is not of the type who will beg money. My friend said " Let us stop here" but the Don Quixote in me refused to budge. I said let us find what is the truth. So I again mentioned the opinion her son has about her and why she is doing this. She gave me a stern look and asked " Boy, are you from Government Intelligence trying to crack a terrorist link. Why do you want to know why I want this money? My son also need not know about this." I made a snide remark at this reply" Ok..let that be. Anyway I never knew an old lady can have secrets that cannot be shared with even son". She broke down at these words which should have struck her ego. " If you really want to know here it is-just near our old age home lives an old man who suffers from Diabetes, Arthiritis and BP. His kids are not living with him and he does not want to leave his home to stay in the Old age home as the society will blame his children. So he projects an image that he lives on his own with his own pension money. He lost some money when the chit funds/finance companies cheated investors. After that his money has shrunk. One day I heard him telling the pharmacy guy about his inability to buy tablets as the prices were rising. The pharmacy guy showed a box where tablets are dropped by donors and he asked to pickup if his tablets were there. He opened the box and found some tablets though not all. He started to come to open the box every 3rd day with a hope he can find his tablets. I decided to help him. So I checked with the pharmacy on the names of tablets. I started to get the tablets and put in the box. I do this every week. I don't want to tell my son as he is a process person-he will tell ask the old man to join our Home and we will take care. Only an old person will know the emotions of old people. So my boy it is not a lie I say I want to buy tablets. But it is not for me...if you want to punish me for this please do". The old lady towered me like a Windmill roaring and fell down like a real Don Quixote. I fell at her feet and apologized. As his son came I visited their old age home and pledged to donate every month as a simple remedy for my sins of the day.
The belief in India is when a snake gets old it spits the precious stone for giving light as its eyes become weaker. Other young snakes make fun of the old snake as it is handicapped. But the old snake smiles to itself as it knows when the venom bag is full we have the arrogance to even fight the Mongoose. Today Mongoose respects the age and decides not to attack but our own young ones make fun of the age. This is evolution of generations. I hope I can drop my venom bag quicker than several others as the power of human will is melting me faster!

Commitment!

Ramayan another great epic of India has a great story on commitment which is not part of the main story. After Ram returns to Ayodhya,Hanuman (the monkey God-whose charm is supposedly helping Obama win the elections in US) is always with him as a loyal assistant. There is no work left for the brothers of Ram (3 of them-Laxman, Bharat, Shatrungan). The brothers are upset that there is no room for them to impress Ram with Hanuman around. So they decide to turn the tables. They approach Ram with a proposal-we will list out all activities around you and split between the brothers so that there is equal opportunity for us to serve Ram. Ram understands the motive but agrees to the proposal. The brothers painstakingly prepare a list of more than 850 activities (like of our project reports) with who will do them(ownership). Ram reads them and agrees. Next day morning Hanuman has no room as Ram tells him about the agreement he had with his brothers and he has to approach them to find if he can get something assigned to him. Hanuman is worried with this turn of events but approaches the brothers for getting some opportunity to serve Ram. The list is put up before him and said if something is left out of the list he can take that up as they will have no objections. Hanuman takes the list to Sage Vashista to help him with something he can do. The Sage reads the list and says “This is an exhaustive list. I don’t find anything except there is a practice if master yawns the servant should make a click sound with fingers before the mouth of master as it is believed to take out bad energies. This is not really a task but I don’t find anything else left out”. Hanuman is happy. So he tells the brothers and Ram that this is his task and everyone agrees. Hanuman from that time onwards is watching Ram to perform his task. But alas-from morning to night Ram has never yawned. Hanuman patiently follows Ram to his bed-but is stopped by guards as this is beyond bounds. Hanuman climbs the roof and starts chanting “ Ram” which always brings him happiness. But there is chaos in below. Ram yawned in the bedroom and has his mouth opened as it refuses to close. Doctors are called in and they are puzzled by this new form of disease. Brothers are woken up as it is considered a serious situation. 4 hours of commotion prevails with Ram in open mouth. Then suddenly someone realizes that Hanuman is missing. They start looking for him and find him on the roof. Informed of the situation Hanuman jumps down to see Ram. Seeing Ram’s mouth open he raises his hand close to Ram’s mouth and with fingers makes the “Click” sound.
Ram’s mouth closes as though waiting for this. The brothers realize the heart of Ram and the commitment both Ram and Hanuman share. They tear up the list they have made and fall on Ram’s feet with tears for they have learnt the lesson of commitment. It is not professionalism or detailing that is a sign of commitment but the power to bond. Very few realize this as administration and micro management makes us feel we are committed to something but reality will be otherwise. Therefore it is important for us to define commitment in a right way before moving ahead as commitment can overcome any hurdles!