I take pride in the fact that I rarely lose my temper at work. However, there are occasions when my patience is tested and I reach the brink of losing my temper. Today was one such day.
I was doing the Q1 analysis with one of my managers. Let's call him X.
X:: It's difficult to do well with such an inexperienced team.
Me (at my motivational best):: Experience is not always good. Your team does not have the baggage of experience and expectation. They are starting with a clean slate.
X:: They are learning everything from scratch.
Me:: Exactly! Look at it this way. They will learn whatever you teach them. You can mould them the way you want to.
X:: I don't think so. I am not confident that they will be able to handle the pressure.
Me:: Well, you were a fresher once. I was a fresher once. Imagine what would have happened if no one had given us a job because we did not have experience! How will people gain experience if no one hires freshers?
X:: So, on what basis did we hire these freshers?
Me:: We hired them because they have high IQ and good communication skills. I believe they can be trained to become excellent employees.
X:: What guarantee is there that they will have commitment and ownership?
Me:: What guarantee is there that an experienced person will have commitment and ownership?
X:: We can do reference check and find out.
Me:: When a person names someone as the point of contact for reference check, he obviously makes sure that that person will speak only good things about him! So, reference checks need not be 100% accurate.
X:: I don't want to waste my time and energy training a fresher.
Me (thinking, not saying aloud):: And yet, you have wasted 30 min in this discussion!
Me (aloud in a cheerful voice):: It's an investment, not a waste. Invest time and energy in training your team. And, when you see them grow as individuals and professionals, it's very fulfilling.
X:: I don't think so. I don't bet on losing horses.
Me:: You will be surprised to see what faith can do. Show some faith in them. They might move mountains for you.
X (with a blank look):: What?
Me (trying to sound nostalgically inspirational):: Remember the first T20 World Cup that India won? All the seniors pulled out of the tournament. A brand new captain led a team of young and inexperienced players in the World Cup where the format itself was new. And, we will know the result.
X:: What was the result?
Me (I couldn't keep the incredulity out from my tone.):: India won the world cup! MS Dhoni, the brand new captain with no captaincy experience whatsoever - not even in domestic cricket - led a team of absolute underdogs to win the T20 World Cup!
X:: Oh. I did not know.
Me:: How could you have missed that? It was all over the news!
X:: When?
Me:: When India won the World Cup! In 2007!
X:: I don't read old newspapers.
Now, it was my turn to go blank.
I was doing the Q1 analysis with one of my managers. Let's call him X.
X:: It's difficult to do well with such an inexperienced team.
Me (at my motivational best):: Experience is not always good. Your team does not have the baggage of experience and expectation. They are starting with a clean slate.
X:: They are learning everything from scratch.
Me:: Exactly! Look at it this way. They will learn whatever you teach them. You can mould them the way you want to.
X:: I don't think so. I am not confident that they will be able to handle the pressure.
Me:: Well, you were a fresher once. I was a fresher once. Imagine what would have happened if no one had given us a job because we did not have experience! How will people gain experience if no one hires freshers?
X:: So, on what basis did we hire these freshers?
Me:: We hired them because they have high IQ and good communication skills. I believe they can be trained to become excellent employees.
X:: What guarantee is there that they will have commitment and ownership?
Me:: What guarantee is there that an experienced person will have commitment and ownership?
X:: We can do reference check and find out.
Me:: When a person names someone as the point of contact for reference check, he obviously makes sure that that person will speak only good things about him! So, reference checks need not be 100% accurate.
X:: I don't want to waste my time and energy training a fresher.
Me (thinking, not saying aloud):: And yet, you have wasted 30 min in this discussion!
Me (aloud in a cheerful voice):: It's an investment, not a waste. Invest time and energy in training your team. And, when you see them grow as individuals and professionals, it's very fulfilling.
X:: I don't think so. I don't bet on losing horses.
Me:: You will be surprised to see what faith can do. Show some faith in them. They might move mountains for you.
X (with a blank look):: What?
Me (trying to sound nostalgically inspirational):: Remember the first T20 World Cup that India won? All the seniors pulled out of the tournament. A brand new captain led a team of young and inexperienced players in the World Cup where the format itself was new. And, we will know the result.
X:: What was the result?
Me (I couldn't keep the incredulity out from my tone.):: India won the world cup! MS Dhoni, the brand new captain with no captaincy experience whatsoever - not even in domestic cricket - led a team of absolute underdogs to win the T20 World Cup!
X:: Oh. I did not know.
Me:: How could you have missed that? It was all over the news!
X:: When?
Me:: When India won the World Cup! In 2007!
X:: I don't read old newspapers.
Now, it was my turn to go blank.
Superbly written article. The honesty of your thoughts and beliefs speak volumes about the personality you have.
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