Beyond the ‘Paradox’

We often have expectations of how certain things should fall into place. But then life happens. Beyond our expectancy, things go wrong. They have every right to. Some question -- how to control them ? The answer - you cannot !

Does this mean all is lost ? No hope ? Well, another ‘paradox’. When situations push you to something, it is general human tendency to divert or channelize to something different. We curse, we scream, we grumble, ...but then again, we change ! Well, most of the times, you must. Since long, mankind claims to control all. But can it ? Believe it or not, it can never do so. Then what do we do ? Hmmm. Go with the flow ? I rather say look into the positivity the situation has to offer. We may not know all, we may not understand all, but it is imperative that we TRY.  Every situation has something to offer, some learning which helps in shaping us up. One must understand and recognise the signs, clues or whatever you may call it.

To abandon a certainty can often leave us with a skeptical paradox that can be genuinely depressing. But humans have this remarkable quality to give meaning to one and all. Bartlett (the British Psychologist), rightly, explained in his theory of reconstructive memory that humans have a tendency to fill in the gaps whenever the information to a particular situation is missing. So what does this imply ? Basically, we always try to give a closure to everything. Be it a relationship, or an important life goal, or even as simple as having a meal. Closure is quite important. As it gives us a sense of satisfaction, of control. But then again, are we controlling things? No. We just learn to live with the ‘change in plan’.

The crux does not lie in controlling the situations but rather at times, going with the flow or accepting change.

Paradox exist, so does life ! We think & plan things but are led to something else. Enjoying every bit of the uncertainty, living every moment ... that is what one should & must do because life just happens once. At times it is not about being right or wrong, but living in the moment and doing your bit, your best. Let us not even live with the assumption of control. But live in the uncertainty, live beyond the Paradox.

Pure Soul

Flashing through my memory,

I see you bright and vibrant,

So subtle, so serene,

You always walked with a smile.

 

The childhood memories would not be complete,

If it wasn’t for you,

How would I know the affection you carried ?

You were always the spiritual for me.

 

Life took us different ways,

Only to meet again with the same infectious smile of yours.

You sang, you cared, you breathed life into all you touched,

The day may seem murkier but you always had a song for it,

You sang to every mood,

You sang your heart out.

 

The calls, the talks, the messages, the thoughts,

All seemed so pure from you,

You were like a child within hustling with zeal,

And yet you were the most grown of all.

 

I wake up to the clamor of the mind,

Longing to hear your words to give me belief,

Who will instill the positivity into the intentions ?

Who would care like you did ?

Who will sign off saying ‘affly Lolly’ ?

Who would smile at the hard like you did ?

 

You taught the truest ways of life,

Even with all the adversities,

You always knew how to be grateful.

Free from the worldly chicanery,

You were the pure soul.

Culture - A way forward

 In today’s workforce there are several serious social issues that appear in the work environment that should be addressed immediately. Serious issues include diversity, sensitivity, sexual harassment, discrimination, fairness, and equity in hiring and advancement, accommodation of individuals with disabilities as well as safety training. 

Are these issues of critical importance in the workplace? Definitely. So, what should one do about it ? Create an all inclusive culture and help the employees grow further.

 A recent international study reported that 77% of adults polled would consider a company's culture before applying for a job there. A positive company culture comes from the top and is enforced at all levels of the organization.

Any organization that needs to have an ideal working place, should have a well-balanced culture. By a well-balanced culture, I mean that there should be equal opportunities for all regardless of caste, creed, religion, race, gender, abilities in terms of disabled, rather to put it correctly differently abled individuals. To have a good working condition in any organization one needs to eradicate these prejudices and create an ambience for its employees where they feel wanted and connected.

As an organizational leader, the first and foremost thing that one should do is hire people based completely on their merit rather than anything else. Because it is the merit of an individual which is going to help the company achieve new & better standards. Further, provide them with adequate training required to perform certain tasks and help them in their growth. A company is known by its employees. The day we start believing this notion and strive to make better employees, that day we will achieve new heights for the company. Employees should be treated with respect and given equal opportunity. This connects an individual to the company.

As a manager, one should look into adequate trainings that would provide the necessary platform to the employee to feel equipped for the role. Training will enhance the skills of the employee and thereby preparing the individual to take up responsible positions and think differently. This is specifically important because training helps the employees to add new skill sets to their potential, thereby helping to create better avenues to attend the issues at hand.

Employees are the backbone of any organisation. If they feel unsatisfied, then it can lead to a lot negativity and ultimately hamper the progress of the organisation. It is imperative for any organisation to provide the employees with good values, strong vision, and goals of the company so that the employees feel participative and engaged in a healthy way. The organisation needs to adapt to an all-inclusive environment where adequate importance is given to the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusive) programmes. Having a healthier gender balance and more generational diversity especially in senior-level positions can help drive the culture forward. Regular development workshops can lead to improvement in performance and engagement of the employee. Creating a transparent environment would also enhance trust among employees. Sharing success and challenges with the employees creates a transparent culture. This leads to highly engaged employees who feel connected to the goals of the company.

Recognising the efforts of the employee and rewarding them from time to time creates active participation and enhances motivation among the employees. Here, Communication and feedback play a pivotal role as well. Regular healthy communication or conversation among the manager & employees and constant feedback on the performance lead to filling in the gaps in the processes and thereby creates an utmost congenial atmosphere. Having strong sexual harassment policies leads to safer working environment where the employee feels valued. Embracing your team's autonomy allows them to make the sometimes difficult, but incredibly rewarding, leap from being held accountable to their responsibilities to embracing accountability as they begin to take on and own their initiatives.

 April Armstrong, CEO at AHA Insight, recommends four strategies when changing your company's culture:

1.    Demonstrate to employees that their involvement is critical. Invite employees to share their thoughts both during company culture discussions and during day-to-day operations.

2.    Make sure management's actions do not clash with stated values. If the founder, CEO or other executives are not "walking the walk," employees will not be inspired to do so either.

3.    Align everything (department, initiatives, processes, etc.) to support company culture, and remind employees that they are invited to contribute to that culture through collaboration and innovation.

4.    Conduct periodic (preferably annual) culture audits. Do not wait until something significant happens (e.g., top employees quit) to evaluate if your efforts are working.

 

Failure to eradicate such serious social issues can cause unrest in the overall ambience of the organisation. This will further lead to dissent, apathy and so on. It will hamper the vision, mission, and goal of the company, in large, affecting the profits of the company. Hence, importance on having a great culture for the organisation leads to remarkable outcomes and enhances the overall profitability of the organisation.

 

The Fleeting Mind !

The mind believes in its own,

How can you tame it ?

The mocking words it doesn’t hear,

The discouraging mutter it fails to catch,

Between the known and unknown,

It fails to recognize you,

And give you the entity !

Fearless and fleeting in its nature,

It carries on without a care,

Taking its own course to reach where it wants to,

Only to realize it must begin again.

Then again comes those mocking words,

Trying their best to put it down,

But how can you hold it ?

How can you muster it together ?

For those who know not its reach,

Who do not believe in its spirit,

It does not try to explain.

It juggles between the promising tomorrow and the nearly forgotten yesterday,

It is never a thing of the present.

How can you suppress it with the jargons of the daily ?

How can you keep it defined ?

The intricacies of the thoughts,

The complexities of its nature,

It knows no straight ways,

Yet it never falters and never lets you stray.

The believing sees it all,

The doubting cannot fathom its glory,

Yet it sails in its own courses,

Unperturbed and phlegmatic,

Ignorant to your beliefs.

We may never know its true potential,

‘coz we live in our own-build cages.

The day we decipher its diversity,

The day we let it cruise,

The moment we believe in its power,

The time we let it loose,

We would see ourselves standing right next to it,

Not far from its course,

Sailing, cruising in its unlimited capacities,

Basking in its newfound glory,

Kvelling in its world.

Lost Star

I never heard you going,

I never heard you say goodbye.

Where did you go my friend ?

Where did you hide ?

 

Of all the times we lived together,

Of all the love we shared,

Of all the moments we laughed like crazy,

Of all the trice we cried.

 

Now there is no one to talk to.

When I look around I see no smile.

Not a day goes by when your thoughts don’t cross my mind,

Not a day goes by when I don’t remember you.

If only I could do something to undo time ….

If only I could get our moments together.

 

Are we all lost stars in the galaxy of time ?

Are we all lost stars soon to be ?

I hope I find you someday,

I hope to see.

I hope we make it together again,

And laugh like crazy.

But deep within I know,

That death is just a crimp.

As somewhere in a corner you live in me and I in you.

Cause when you left quietly for the better place,

You took a part of me with you,

And left me with a bit of you !!

*Dedicated to my friend, Lekha, who left for her heavenly abode.

Mother's Day !

I read somewhere, ‘Someday someone will break you so badly, that you will become unbreakable.’ Well, mothers are indeed unbreakable by now.

Personally, I do not believe in celebrating one day for mothers. Mothers are not stories to be told once but sagas – detailed, exquisite, sublime and fascinating, that is perpetual.

‘Mamma, where is my book?’, ‘Mamma, where is my towel?’, ‘Mamma, going out with friends.’, ‘Mamma, can you get that for me ?’ and so on. Our demands, questions and persistence never tend to cease and neither does a mom’s love.

She works tirelessly day in and day out only to be felt unappreciated every single day. We take her for granted. We always think that, ‘well, that’s what moms are supposed to do. Take care of everything’. (Big mistake!) But at the end of the day, she feels tired, she feels needed and most of all, she longs for the love of her family and a little support. Regardless of whether she gets that, tomorrow is again a fresh start for her. She begins again ! Day after day….

Moms are special because of the things they do, the selfless love and of all the pain they endure and never mention a word of it. They are special because of the way they make us feel.

Let us today and EVERYDAY understand them, respect them and love them back as they do because nothing in this world can replace an unconditional love of a mother. They are not stories but sagas – grand and majestic in every possible way and in every little thing they do. Treat them right !

To each such unbreakable MOM – Happy Mother’s Day !

Year 2020 .. so far !

This year was meant to be different,

This year was supposed to be the beginning,

But look what its got with it,

Look what it is unfolding.

The hunger for more,

The greed to achieve all,

Mankind forgot its boundaries,

It forgot to live in peace,

That’s exactly what this year has come to teach,

Look what its got with it,

Look what it is unfolding !

The crying of the meek we forgot to see,

The silence of the creatures we forgot to hear,

We lived in cacophony and believed it to be music,

But someone had to come to make us realize,

Look what this year is teaching,

Look what it is unfolding.

Every now and then we relied on technology,

Every now and then we let it be,

Every time we said to ourselves, ‘We create it all. We are the masters’.

But we forgot to see who the real creator is.

Now, its time to give nature the chance,

Its time to let it take control.

Look what this is showing,

Look what it is unfolding !

Life may never be the same now,

Life may be more vigilant,

A new normal awaits us,

A new normal teaches us the ways of life,

The true ways of life !

Whether we should be grateful or should sulk in grudge and whinge,

But one thing is sure my friend,

This thing is here to stay as we are passing by,

If only we understood this quick enough,

Life would not be such a waste.

Look what this thing is making us realize,

Look what it is unfolding !

As somethings cannot be explained, because He knows it best,

Its good to trust Him with it,

Its good to surrender in his ways,

Look what this time and year is teaching,

Look what it is unfolding !

A life where all should be respected,

Each being big or small,

A life where we live together in harmony with each other,

‘cause Man your pride has got you here.

Its time we realize our mistake,

Its time we see the impending danger,

As nature has come knocking on the door,

And it may knock no longer,

Before it barges in unceremoniously,

Its time for us to garner.

Let us be wise,

Let us be amenable,

Let us understand our devoir.

Listen to what this year is saying,

Look what it is unfolding !