This note dates back to Oct 1998. I had written this for the monthly bulletin of Gharda Chemicals, where I worked from Oct 1998 to May 2000. The article was rated as the best contribution that month “The Organization and its People”.
The topic seemed to be pretty difficult until the realization that we are talking about you, me and the chap who sits next to our work place. We are talking about the GHARDA FAMILY, the family each one of us belongs to. To know the family we need to know the people, the members of the family, their behavior and their habits. The following is a sincere attempt to list out, based on detailed observations, the different personalities you come across in an organisation.
Let us start on a positive note and talk about the SUPERMAN. He seems to be capable of doing everything. Impossible is a word that does not exist in his dictionary. He always reaches the right place at the right time. People always search for him in times of trouble, for his ability to set things right, to make things happen. There is place for him everywhere. He inspires, he motivates and he reminds you of Sachin Tendulkar because you know there is always hope as long as he is there (batting or bowling). He is the greatest asset to the organization, a treasure.
Our Organization Leaders -Dad & Bharat Uncle
But let me caution you for you will always come across men who talk about their super human abilities. For one, they will give you an impression that nothing will work in their absence. And the other, they keep boasting of their achievements. Remember talkers need not necessarily be doers.
How often have you said “Kaun kehata hai ke Hitler mar gaya?” (Who says Hitler is dead?)
After all you see him every day, right in front of you. Are yaar, tumhare us wale boss ki baat kar raha hoon. (My dear friend, I am referring to your boss) When he talks you better listen or else you’ve had it. He always seems to follow you, especially so when you’re trying to get away from him. You are never spared, not even in your dreams, a hyperbole perhaps, but by now I guess you know what we are talking about. You love to hate him, don’t you?
Don’t ponder too much on Hitler. Now just close your eyes and think of the young chap who just joined the organization. “Why does he ask so many questions? Especially those stupid ones,” is what you often wonder. He certainly does it (I know it because I do it too) for he is always in a hurry to know things. He’s young, enthusiastic (and what not) and you like the way he addresses you as SIR. This fellow is the future of the organization, so please lend him a helping hand.
Then there is the DRONACHARYA. This wonderful teacher never fails to inspire you, for he sees in you his ARJUN, his blue-eyed boy. The generous master gifts you all his knowledge and shares his experience but not without his GURU-DAKSHINA. He expects commitment, sincerity, honesty and dedication, a small fee by any standards. But it often appears that the Dronacharyas and the Arjuns are extinct species. Instead you have people who would always teach you all the wrong things and GOD only knows why.
Though unfortunate, an organization also has its share of the infectious lot. They have a corrupting influence on the organization. They lack enthusiasm, motivation, willingness to work and all this has a very high coefficient of induction. Keep away from them. They can be deadlier than the deadliest of viruses.
Besides the above there are several other people. There is this old guy who has seen it all. He always has a serious look on his face and one never hears him talk (his gray hair does the talking). But all he needs is a slightest of the stimulus and he will narrate to you stories of those who came and those who went and why he was still there (I admire his patience). Then there is the naughty guy and his practical jokes, the quiet fellow and the big talker, the ever smiling bubbly guy, the pretty woman (inspiration to many), the big lady (daily newspaper of the organization) and many more.
The organization needs all of you. After all, VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE.
This note dates back to Oct 1998. I had written this for the monthly bulletin of Gharda Chemicals, where I worked from Oct 1998 to May 2000. The article was rated as the best contribution that month.
After Gharda Chemicals, I moved on to our business, founded by Dad and Bharat Uncle in 1980.