Aspire to win! Really?

Interviewer: "So tell me, why did you opt for an MBA?"

Interviewee: I had to broaden my perspective and learn the aspects of Project Management. Like budgeting, scheduling ... umm... planning, risk management

Interviewer: But we don't do it over here. We don't have the kind of profile you are looking for

Interviewee: (THINKING: Yeah you were getting bored alone and I had all the time in this world to entertain you, which is exactly why I am here #*@%^$)

Me: Well it's not really (did I just say that). Every team has deadlines, certain associated costs (and all the crap usually repeated at every interview) .....

---------------8<-----------------

This was one of the recent interview sessions at one of the esteemed organizations. I had decided to retrospect the whole incident and every related event in the past (of course on a friend's suggestion). So what was it? What was it that I was actually lacking with every attempt to succeed? (An attempt and not a sure win. There is a subtle deviation in the two, which is an absolute error.)

Give a thought to the last interview you did not crack (I won't say could not crack and there is a reason to it - read on). Some more thought and it would not take a genius to crack the nut. Your story wasn't convincing. It was simply not your day. I have been almost knocked off my wits, when at the end of the entire interviewing session (which usually is non-productive even if the candidate is selected and we shall keep it for a separate blog), you are encounter the perfectly brilliant inference. The job description has completely no relevance to the entire interview process you've just been through.

Let's flip sides for a moment. I have also come across an edified beings, who reasoned the inability in the art of deception with the actor's line, "I was not well prepared for this interview" or "I didn't have sufficient time to prepare".

Enough of whining! (say it loud if its on ya mind)

And there is absolute pause. Like a placid pond. And then the first ripple. The second, the third. But wait there something. Something unusual. There is a strange bedlam. Seems to makes no sense, but still has a perfect meaning. What is this strangeness?

It's no wonder is unfamiliar. Even I didn't, I swear. The last time I remember such strangeness was in my primary school. Everything around me was chaotic and I was enjoying it. It made perfect sense to me.

What has changed is not what's around. Nope nor have we changed. What's changed are the aspirations, b'coz the perceptions aren't the same anymore. I don't enjoy a sparrow hopping across the tracks these days. But am surely saddened with one disfavoring incident.

Let me take you back to where we started. The interview now, is no more disappointing. It's no more a report card grading my qualities. It's fun. I get to meet at-least 3 new people. For that creepy bug in your mind - the HR, who is orchestrating, the gentle interviewer and of course your competitor (you forgot the poor thing). My experience says the competing candidates are your best source of information, especially post interview, like after a week (don't make the perennial mistake trying to crack the interview pattern). Usually in my view each of his failures is a potential opportunity posing before you. Grab it!

And for that aspiring attitude. Get rid of the error as I mentioned somewhere before. Do not attempt. Know what you want, picturize it and go for it. Don't aspire to win, Win!

;-)

thE rAt rAcE

The other day, I was getting out of the bus, when this thought rushed through my mind, "Are we into a civilized rat race?"

The bus had reached its destination and everyone was prepared to get off the bus. But to my surprise the group of people waiting eagerly for the bus for long just gushed in. Now that’s such a pity I thought. All those who had been so patient for the bus to arrive for such a long time were suddenly uncivilized. No one had even bothered to give a thought to; how are they going to manage their up into the bus, coz people inside were wanting to get out from the same door.

Now, think over on this situation, not very uncommon in our routine lives. This happens everywhere, the bus, the train, even the elevator in your building. Everyone seems to be in a hurry. But hurry for what you ask and no one has a sane answer. Some might tell you for a meeting they are getting late, others might just frown at you and grumble saying, "Not everyone is as lucky as you are to have all the time in this world." But in reality, they actually are frustrated about the time they have wasted and are trying to vent out that steam. Well as we all know when that happens there's a lot of kinematics involved.

This, however, is not true is what you are thinking probably and if you are I must tell you two things. Firstly, you are still a human and not a vegetable b'coz there are still some sparks flying across your neurons. And secondly, you are absolutely right. We happen to lose or in some cases never gain our individuality in the course trying to cope up with the dazzle around us; what the wise term as a society. Think again! Did you actually need those grades in all those exams  you thought were a turning point in your life? Did you actually needed that watch, bracelet or that locket you so desperately longed for? What about the last time you saw clouds sway by when you were gazing at the full moon in the middle of a night? "When was it?", try to ask this to yourself and I shall be happy for you if you find an answer.

All the time, what we have been doing is, just forgot that we still have the mammalian instincts, which at times seem to overwhelm us into the delusion that makes us forget of our identity. No identity and we are in the same sewer as the rats. Getting lost with the crowd mired in the rat-race. Paradoxical isn't it; mired in the rat-race, but this is the whole point. This is what I opened up this blog post with , you are going no-where no matter how hard you try. Amazingly, the harder one tries the slower the pace gets and as we used to say in the good ol' school days, "The converse is always not true" (Now this is the unfortunate part I didn't wish to put in here [:(] )

So what is it to be done then? Do we stop running? Do we just be spectators? Need we run in the other direction? … All these thoughts did swarm up my mind when I tried to think ( yeah I know it’s a difficult process, but still I thought of giving it a try). And what answer did I get, ahem you would not be surprised if I tell you that I came to a conclusion that, I can't find an answer [:P]. Well don't swear at me now, it happens, as it does with all those great thinkers like me out there [B-)].

But one thing's for sure, I now know it for sure that identity is the most valuable asset that lies with every individual, right from the time (s)he's born. And for that rat-race, just run along as if there's no better thing to do. It doesn't matter where you're heading , it also doesn't matter if you win or lose. All that matters in the end is that you ran and didn't miss that opportunity [;)].

Cheers!!

The Leaders and The Conspirators

During my B-school days I came across many people as ever. But being in B-school meant I had a different perspective (at least I thought I did). There was a thought process to everything. Even the weirdest thought that came to my mind was structured. No crazy ideas, no more. This was strange, as this had never happened to me before as an engineer. Life at engineering, now it seems, was more of ad-hoc (a new word I have learned in the B-school) thinking process; although for some reason I still like the way it was. Now, this is called digressing from the topic, a common problem with most managers.

So coming back to where we started. All these people that I met were normal otherwise, except the management student inside me would always wish to categorize them. And one day I finally yelled EUREKA. Well not actually, since we have these management etiquettes to bear with in our behavior. I thought of categorizing the people into two categories, viz., The Leaders and The Conspirators.

Now what do these mean, and how do you identify these people? Do they carry a mark on them? What are the behavioral traits they assume? And several other questions would crowd my feeble mind. The thought process takes-over here. They are categories and are associative to a person depending upon the immediate state of mind he is in. Does this mean these apply to all? The answer is yes.

Now, lets begin with the leaders. These are the people who have a bold outlook. They are strong and have a strong, large and loud network. "Loud?" is what you might ask. This is a perfectly valid question. Yes, the word is loud, no secret relationships. These are socially outgoing people, accepting anyone and everyone open-heartedly into their social network. They are people who always would stand in light and have their actions witnessed publically. They are open book and you can trust these kind of people, even if they are not very close to you and just acquaintances. This is a very popular category and much literature is readily available on it. But, being the kind of person I am (pessimist as some people call it), I always wish to look at the other side, out of sheer curiosity.

This is when I come across the second category. This category is no less interesting. The conspirators are no less in number, but are in plenty around you if you are really interested in finding out, at times outnumbering the leaders. "Now why do call them conspirators?" is what you ask (mind is a wonderful organ and would always leave you restless with questions). I'll come to it shortly after describing their personality traits. These people are, as opposed to our leaders, closed doors. You would hardly know anything about their personal life even after spending sufficient number of, not only hours or days, but months at a stretch. These people are real hard nut to crack. These people would always find something fishy with everything. But, strangely enough, their network is no small. It is still difficult for me to understand, how could people who are so reluctant to communicate form such effective social networks? But, the fact cannot be abnegated. This is where I can support my choice of name for the category. These networks always are into some sort of conspiracy. They would never come and talk to you in public, but would catch hold of (and here I literally mean it) you when no one is around. They would suddenly change the topic if they sense the slightest presence of a stranger. These people would hold secretly hold meetings, especially to conspire on what's going around, which they could easily do just by more socializing.

So what is the bakar in here? The whole idea is of the good and the bad, the divine and the devil, which has been there around for ages. Nothing new it seems, but then why should I be writing this blog?  Because I have a new perception. Yes, a new dimension which I haven't heard of in most of the mythologies, legends or even the bed-time stories. No one is good or no one is bad. Lets go back to our conspirators.

There is something good as well to stay along with the conspirators. No I am not crazy. They at times have many news that could be really useful, if you could use it to your advantage. These people form the essential stems of the grape-vines. Their networking abilities too are ingenious. Their communication channels are more faster and powerful than any other. Probably these things may have evolved due to their very nature, which leaves them timid due to lack of trust in anyone. Now that’s my selfish side. The real bright side is that they are good team players. They would never face a situation for others but would ensure if on is at the horizons and I feel that’s really very helpful. Precaution is better than cure they say.

Now, for our references from the mythologies. We have always been told about the great epic battles between the devas (gods) and the danavas (asuras). But have you ever given a thought to the very fact that both had armies. Yes the asuras were united. Now if they were bad, as we are always told, why didn't they fight amongst themselves and finish off their kind? Give it a thought. So may be they were not bad, its our perception that is bad. And on the other side why did the devas fight if they were good? This is truly something that would fire-up a few neurons, if you are not a vegetable.

The gyan out of this bakar is, now I guess, very clear. There is nothing good, there is nothing bad. Nor is the perception good or bad. Its how you want it to be, results into, how it shall be. S take life in the very attitude of the creator. Decide how you would want things around you to be. With personified persistence you should be able to see what you wish to see and by this I mean no wonderland, but in reality.

As this is my first blog on bakargyan, it might seem to be quite dry and boring, as I am not much into writing. But, I am sure your comments would help me improve with my style of writing. Till my next blog, Good Bye!