I was reading this book, by Jack Welch, "Winning". It would be shear euphemism to say that this book is just brilliant. But it got me to thinking about one incident in my life which I have lived over and over again.
In the year 2002, which is when I started my Mechanical Engineering, I and one of my friends got hooked onto this idea, of making a Rocket. A real flying machine with solid rocket boosters. We had plans to send experiments onboard to desired heights. Now we had the idea, we knew the technical stuff involved. But what we did not have was money. One thing led to the other and we decided to set up a full time research lab which would fund this project. And we got so engrossed in making this lab work, getting the funding, the infrastructures, the people, that the real AIM, for which we were doing all this slipped out of my mind altogether. By the time I could actually figure out what was happening, I was too tied to get out of it. The reason I am talking about all this here is, that even in the best of my times, I have not been able to figure out why we did not succeed. Now, mind you, we had the best people you can find, but yes, the facilities and the support that goes into those things was seriously missing. Anyhow whatever the reasons were, I kept looking for answers for almost 2 years. I was even afraid to dream of something or even to try something real, due to the fear of failure.
Now, Jack talks about a quality that organizations must have, and that is Candor. He tells us that for organizations to succeed, the people involved must speak out. The manager should create an environment where everyone can speak out, freely and objectively. Looking back at it, the real reason I see now that killed my Little Company was, we all lacked Candor. There was unbound enthusiasm, everyone had a vision, technically everyone knew his business but what they lacked in was Candor. I as a manager was too busy leading them on, pushing them harder and stronger, and forgetting that they must also speak out. But then, there is a contradiction here. Is it not every person’s first duty towards an organization, not to accept things as they are? Is it not a part of an employees job to stand up and say “Sir, This is where you are messing up big time?"
Anyhow that was my first failure. And it took me almost 2 years to get out of it. That was my awakening, as I see it now.
2 comments:
Edits aside, this one is very well-written. The first time I am seeing you not straying away from the main topic of discussion. A good start!!
Ina lifetime every living being awakens twice.once when he's separated from his mother's womb and again.you are lucky you have had the other awakening too.may all the awakening souls add to ur quest.and the none too lucky ones too.
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