This is indeed the best of times, the worst of times…..
China is hosting its first ever Olympics. South Africa is feverishly preparing to host World Cup 2010.India recently launched the most number of multiple satellites in one single launch. Google is well on its way to digitalized human knowledge. Lenovo is on the verge of taking over the world of PCs. The human genome project is a continuing success. Cure for certain types of cancer is purportedly just around the corner. Alternative fuel is no longer alternative. Hybrid cars have become a norm.
This is indeed the best of times. It is almost cliche now but I still have to note here that the world has undergone more changes in the last 100 years than in the previous 1000 years. A quantum leap of sorts. We have impacted this planet in ways so profound that we have not even been able to comprehend it all yet. It is mind boggling to read about the kind of cutting edge researches being done to develop technologies that were the stuff of science fiction. It is even more stressful to the intellect to come across concepts, ideas and tenets that have all but challenged all that we use to hold dear. Quantum physics have explored and verbalized some of the most metaphysical aspects of human existence. New age religions are challenging the doctrines of thousand-year old traditions. Space expeditions are throwing up more questions than answers that have forced thinkers and philosophers to continuously reexamine human beliefs. Nano technology have opened an entire new world of possibilities.
And yet, this is the worst of times. World conflicts are ever present. None of the human conflicts that visited our fathers 50 years ago have been resolved. World War 2 ended but is yet to be resolved. New wars are being 'created'....Georgia, Sudan, Palestine, Iraq. The residual impact of World War 2 is all around if only we take the trouble to look deeper. Religious intolerance is growing. The schisms between nations, peoples and communities are so apparent that genuine brotherhood is difficult to come by today. World resources and financial markets are all but in the hands of a small group of elite shadowy hands. The manipulation of commodity prices and stock prices are just beyond the comprehension of the vast majority of people. The divide between the haves and the haves not have grown. The fight for our minds and hearts are waged on all fronts; political parties, religious bodies, corporate maneuverings, social institutions and everything else that exists today because they all have one thing in common : They are all tied to the world’s economic super highway. That's the truth. Whether it is 3M, Selayang General Hospital or the Tirupathi Temple in India : they are the on the world’s economic super highway. They are all connected but entirely separate at the same time. The other thing that they have in common is that they are all demanding our loyalties.
Our employees bring this muddled state of affairs into the office. Manage it!
The role of a manager or anyone who needs to manage the performance of others need to undergo a total evo-revolution. There will be some things in a manager’s repertoire of knowledge that can undergo evolutionary changes; the type that the manager will have the luxury of time. There will be yet others that the manager will need to change with a revolutionary zealousness where time is a luxury.
I am going to focus on the latter and on one particularly critical one : the attitude of a manager.
We are used to the question of who makes a good manager but I would rather ask the question why anyone becomes a manager? The obvious answer is of course that it is the natural growth of people in an organization. Well, that's true. That's why Hitler came to take control of his party and Stalin his. Hitler was energetic, dedicated, passionate, focused, disciplined, believed in the vision and was loyal. So, it was only natural for him to go up the party ranks. What we never phantomed at that time was why he wanted to lead the party? The reason why a person becomes a manager will make all the difference to his or her people management style in this time of uncertainties. If you become a manager as a matter of ‘natural progression’ and thus go about your duties as a matter of duty; you had it.
You have to have the calling to become a manager. I can often see the difference in managers who are there as the natural order of things and those who truly deserved and desired to be there. Their words, actions and behaviors are a reflection of their calling in management. I have had the good fortune to work for some of these individuals both male and female.
Times have changed and will continue to change. Technology is changing. The business environment is changing. Social structures are changing (more and more single parents are at the work place), the education delivery system is changing (for example, more and more higher education institutions are going back to a generalist curriculum), work roles are changing, the traditional supply chain is changing, demand and supply is changing, world production patterns are changing. Now, how about your attitude towards those who work for you and with you?
Lets make this a truly best of times for our people through our more enlightened people management style. Our people come to work to make a living BUT more importantly they work to make a meaning out of this lives. Give them that meaning. Start with your self.
Note : At the beginning of the year I made some predictions for the year and among them was that the Beijing Olympics will the be grandest ever and the most controversial one. I can say, my prediction on this has come to pass . Tibet, the French threat to boycott the opening ceremony, the girl who lip-synced for the theme song, the digitally enhanced opening ceremony live telecast, and the murder of an American man have all added to the controversies. The amazingly sleek opening ceremony, the beautiful way how one talented Chinese film director has managed to keep the opening ceremony away from the cliched aspects China, the awe inspiring win of the Americans in the swimming relay event, the ongoing quest of the all-American poster boy, Phelps, the gold medal shooter from India who raised the joy of 1.2 billion Indians, the continuing magic of Lionel Messi, the quest of Roger ‘FedEx’ Federer to win the one medal not in his collection, the first ever Olympic medal for Togo will become Olympics legends. I suspect more examples of the human spirit will be exhibited in the coming days. I hope, that somewhere in these legends, the name of Malaysia will be etched.
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