We all want to be respected and valued! It’s an inherent desire of most human beings.
I still remember the day I became a team lead, a manager for the first time. I was elated and rushed to share the good news with my father. He was already gravely ill but was fully conscious and communicating with us.
He first congratulated me and then said, “remember what I told you years back….”
When I couldn’t recollect, he reiterated his advice, “Learn to differentiate between yourself and the position you hold. Don’t ever confuse between the two”.
It’s hard for a twenty something to understand the depth of this statement. I just nodded my head and moved on. However, with passing years, it started making more and more sense.
As we climb the corporate ladder and start gathering multi-colored feathers in our cap, we tend to feel more respected: people listen to us attentively, take our inputs, ask for our feedback, value our ideas as the best etc. etc… These are the times to engage in an honest reflection:
Am I being respected for who I am, as an individual? As a Leader?
Or am I being respected for the position I occupy?
It’s easy to fall into the trap of positional respect…I can recall so many instances when I got trapped in it – bullying my way through, unnecessarily using my veto power…. as people continued to nod respectfully (and probably cringing and raging from inside). What would they do if I wasn’t their boss? Or way to senior?
The sooner we realize the transient nature of our position, the better we are able to build our credibility as human beings and professionals too. It’s not an easy path, but the only one that’s worth embarking.
At the outset, I would like to thank you for stopping by my Blog.
I believe that there is nothing right or wrong in this world. What’s right in this moment and context may be wrong in another moment and context. This belief has inspired me to name my blog ‘Perspectives’.
Perspectives is a platform for me to share my experiences, thoughts and perspectives on various subjects. You may have a different point of view. I look forward to hearing them, these are the triggers for rich and deep conversations.
On personal front, I live in Mumbai, India. I love to read; Somerset Maugham and Nevil Shute are my favorite authors. My favorite books are The Razor’s Edge, Mrs. Craddock, Chequer Board and Gone with the Wind. I am thankful to my father who inculcated the habit of reading in me early on.
I am also passionate about traveling, I have been to most parts of India and to several countries across the globe.
On professional front, I work in Human Resources function. Over two and half decades, I have worked across multiple industries and cultures. I focus on Leadership Development, Talent Management, Visioning and Culture, Large-scale change, Employee Listening & Engagement, Employee Well-being, Inclusive work culture, HR effectiveness, Behavior and Mind-set shifts through sustained interventions
I currently lead Organization Effectiveness Function for Aditya Birla Group, a $44.3 billion conglomerate with 120000 employees across 35 countries.
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading my blog. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.
Thank you!
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Perspectives 