Of Integrity, Fidelity and Politeness
* Disclaimer and Background :
This is something I wrote when I was at my last job, sitting through another drivel of a presentation or lecture...Just never got the chance to post it earlier as the page got packed in the bottom of my suitcase, and I found it a month later, after moving through many cities and finally changing my job. I haven't altered any part of it while reproducing, so my subsequent views on the same topic could be different( except adding a line which is in italics).
And of course, with no intention to badmouth either my previous employer, institution or anyone I met, these are just my opinions on what I saw.*
Show me a company which does not have INTEGRITY as one of its core values and I will show you a company which is fictional. But do they really follow it?
I am yet to meet a person receiving a induction lecture, who actually believes that what is being doled about how fair and honest the company is, is true. I think it has just become engrained into us. We cant believe people around us can be fair at a group level. The corruption regimes have made us skeptic. Every office is overall unfair and unjust [don't we all love Dilbert!] ; even though a few individuals might be good. This is a fairly held belief. Ever heard : Who said life will be fair ?! But who said it shouldn't?
My latest employer - actually, technically my first - is a good example. They are the biggest business house in the country, pledging much of their profits to social initiatives. And even though my colleagues and I have seen quite a bit of it ourselves [ and mind you, the work they do is commendable ] ; and yet, the skepticism in the truth in the profit deployment is very apparent all around.
I also saw this during my work in my B school. For me, integrity stands not just being free of corruption.It also encompasses being truthful, standing by your work and working for people you are responsible for. And I saw this missing in such a large group I dealt with - corporates, students, faculty - it shocked me. This integrity is so often mistaken for being stoic, that I hold even my colleagues responsible for upholding the impression that only quiet, silent and reserved people can work properly and anyone who is involved, is by default assumed to be biased or incompetent. If I had a penny for every time I was put down for being loud and chirpy..... ah well.
When dealing with the who's who of the Indian corporate, a very apparent fact was that the irreverence for your own world and the people you are dealing with, was most apparent in people with less experience and proportionally more power. They are rudely proud of their ability to lie and manipulate; citing that as a reason for their success. Any Indian B-school student who has heard of Anuj Dutt of HUL (erstwhile HLL) and Rahul Gangal of TAS ; would know what I am talking about.
The illusion that such people act such only with their counterparts across the table - in this case, placement committee representatives - and differently towards the people/organization they are responsible for, has been dispelled since I joined work. I mean how difficult could it be to make a schedule for a day and inform to a group of people via an email !?! And No ! In the efficient world, words dropped to one person over a late dinner or drinks does not count as information dissemination, nor does the sentence "I have no clue what to do/what is going on" coming out the mouth of a representative of the most respected business group in the country add to its repute.
I am shocked at the sheer nonchalance with which concerns and questions of the new joinees are ignored. Most of the time, its cited as pride, trying to teach us the ways of the real world. I am sure my batchmates would have agreed; with years of work experience behind them; they are not kids and do understand that rudeness doesnt not make you look cool, despite of what you might think. I refuse to believe that an organization which manages close to 450 companies, cannot learn how to professionally manage time of its own top resource. And if its not the company, then it is the people who represent the group to us. And I wonder, what is that gives them the assurance and sanction that being impolite, unprofessional and lying is correct ?
And its not something which occurs only in the corporate world. I shudder to see, the frequency at which I see people around me flaunt their infidelity as a medal. With all the theories of man-being-born-polygamous etc floating around; its almost become fashionable to be disloyal to the people around you. A friend's girlfriend decided to get involved with another friend, without bothering to tell this guy. And it never occurred to her that this is wrong. A newly married colleague, has very skillfully managed to keep his promiscuous activities from his partner by challenging people who knew about it. He says that it was his right to be infidel, and the wife doesnt need to know because it does not concern her ! It does not concern her !?! How? Who else does it concern !? [ and if you have read the comments on the last post : even my boyfriend thinks that Marriage is a certificate which keeps men fidel, else "men being men" would move away at the drop of a hat, with nothing to keep them in reins ! ]
Fidelity and Politeness is Passe. So last century. Rude is in ! Its fucking cool !
Now let me admit, i am not the politest person around. Truthfully, I could as well be the loudest and the brashest. But I do not carry around this illusion of being above everyone. I do believe that integrity in invariably linked to realising who you are and how much your actions can affect other people's lives. For me, integrity and fidelity are synonyms and I am yet to meet a person who has earned the right to be corrupt - in work or in personal life.
And so, it does surprise and upset me every time I meet such people. Maybe I live in an unreal world of mine . Maybe I look at life through rose tinted glasses - it comes with being a Piscean , as Ms. Goodman predicts. Maybe because of this outlook I would not be very successful; in the way world defines it. But rest assured, I would continue to hope and work towards ensuring that the vision through the tinted glasses becomes a reality around me. Touch wood !
My latest employer - actually, technically my first - is a good example. They are the biggest business house in the country, pledging much of their profits to social initiatives. And even though my colleagues and I have seen quite a bit of it ourselves [ and mind you, the work they do is commendable ] ; and yet, the skepticism in the truth in the profit deployment is very apparent all around.
I also saw this during my work in my B school. For me, integrity stands not just being free of corruption.It also encompasses being truthful, standing by your work and working for people you are responsible for. And I saw this missing in such a large group I dealt with - corporates, students, faculty - it shocked me. This integrity is so often mistaken for being stoic, that I hold even my colleagues responsible for upholding the impression that only quiet, silent and reserved people can work properly and anyone who is involved, is by default assumed to be biased or incompetent. If I had a penny for every time I was put down for being loud and chirpy..... ah well.
When dealing with the who's who of the Indian corporate, a very apparent fact was that the irreverence for your own world and the people you are dealing with, was most apparent in people with less experience and proportionally more power. They are rudely proud of their ability to lie and manipulate; citing that as a reason for their success. Any Indian B-school student who has heard of Anuj Dutt of HUL (erstwhile HLL) and Rahul Gangal of TAS ; would know what I am talking about.
The illusion that such people act such only with their counterparts across the table - in this case, placement committee representatives - and differently towards the people/organization they are responsible for, has been dispelled since I joined work. I mean how difficult could it be to make a schedule for a day and inform to a group of people via an email !?! And No ! In the efficient world, words dropped to one person over a late dinner or drinks does not count as information dissemination, nor does the sentence "I have no clue what to do/what is going on" coming out the mouth of a representative of the most respected business group in the country add to its repute.
I am shocked at the sheer nonchalance with which concerns and questions of the new joinees are ignored. Most of the time, its cited as pride, trying to teach us the ways of the real world. I am sure my batchmates would have agreed; with years of work experience behind them; they are not kids and do understand that rudeness doesnt not make you look cool, despite of what you might think. I refuse to believe that an organization which manages close to 450 companies, cannot learn how to professionally manage time of its own top resource. And if its not the company, then it is the people who represent the group to us. And I wonder, what is that gives them the assurance and sanction that being impolite, unprofessional and lying is correct ?
And its not something which occurs only in the corporate world. I shudder to see, the frequency at which I see people around me flaunt their infidelity as a medal. With all the theories of man-being-born-polygamous etc floating around; its almost become fashionable to be disloyal to the people around you. A friend's girlfriend decided to get involved with another friend, without bothering to tell this guy. And it never occurred to her that this is wrong. A newly married colleague, has very skillfully managed to keep his promiscuous activities from his partner by challenging people who knew about it. He says that it was his right to be infidel, and the wife doesnt need to know because it does not concern her ! It does not concern her !?! How? Who else does it concern !? [ and if you have read the comments on the last post : even my boyfriend thinks that Marriage is a certificate which keeps men fidel, else "men being men" would move away at the drop of a hat, with nothing to keep them in reins ! ]
Fidelity and Politeness is Passe. So last century. Rude is in ! Its fucking cool !
Now let me admit, i am not the politest person around. Truthfully, I could as well be the loudest and the brashest. But I do not carry around this illusion of being above everyone. I do believe that integrity in invariably linked to realising who you are and how much your actions can affect other people's lives. For me, integrity and fidelity are synonyms and I am yet to meet a person who has earned the right to be corrupt - in work or in personal life.
And so, it does surprise and upset me every time I meet such people. Maybe I live in an unreal world of mine . Maybe I look at life through rose tinted glasses - it comes with being a Piscean , as Ms. Goodman predicts. Maybe because of this outlook I would not be very successful; in the way world defines it. But rest assured, I would continue to hope and work towards ensuring that the vision through the tinted glasses becomes a reality around me. Touch wood !
posted by Incredibly Indian @ 9:51 PM
Comments: 2
