MONKEY IN THE PLANE

Once in Brazil a plane crashed, only a monkey who was travelling in the plane left alive. Fortunately the monkey was intelligent enough to understand our language and reply in actions.

The officials went to see the monkey in the hospital and had a talk with the monkey.

Officer: "When the plane took off what were the travelers doing?"
Monkey: "Tying their belts."
Officer: "What were the air hostesses doing?"

Monkey: "Saying Hello! Good morning!"

Officer: "What were the pilots doing?"

Monkey: "Checking the system."

Officer: "What were you doing?"

Monkey: "Looking for my people."

Office:"After 10 minutes what were the travellers doing?"
Monkey: "Having beverages and snacks."

Officer: "What were the air hostesses doing?"

Monkey: "Serving the travellers."

Officer: "What were the Pilots doing?"

Monkey: "Handling the steering."

Officer: "What were you doing?"

Monkey: "Eating & throwing."

Officer: "After 30 minutes what were the travellers doing?

Monkey: "Some were sleeping and some were reading."

Officer: "What were the air hostesses doing?"

Monkey: "Make up."

Officer: "What were the pilots doing?"

Monkey: "Handling the steering."

Officer: "What were you doing?"

Monkey: "Nothing."

Officer: "Just before plane crash what were the travellers doing?"

Monkey: "All were sleeping."

Officer: "What were the pilots doing?"

Monkey: "Handling the air hostess."

Officer: "What were you doing?"

Monkey: "Handling the steering!"

Something to share…..

From the management aspect, the problem usually starts when you are not in control and divert your attention to other issues (Not doing the things you are supposed to do but doing things that you are not supposed to do). You are asking for big trouble when you let go your job function to someone who plays “monkey” and has no knowledge of doing your job. A “plane crash” means you are finished, i.e. loosing your job since you are solely responsible and accountable.

A Plantation Manager is entrusted to manage the whole plantation, thus he must be disciplined, determined and dedicated to his job responsibility as he is overall in-charge of all operations, as well as the management, administration and accounting of the plantation. Delegation must be followed up and at times followed through. Do not delegate to the wrong hands! Do not expect a Trainee Assistant who is still on the job training or a Junior Assistant who is still lack of experience to in-charge of a division and able to deliver. They are still in need of much guidance and coaching. Normally the Senior Assistant is the 2nd man whom the Manager relies on to organize and carry out most operations in the plantation. However, if he just let go without follow up and closely monitoring, he may end up in big trouble.

When come to decision making, the manager must insist that he is to be consulted for making the final decision.

The principle is basic and simple.

The Manager must be in TOTAL CONTROL.

LOVE YOUR JOB

Extract of Mr. Narayana Murthy's Speech during Mentor Session:

I know people who work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, or more. Some people do so because of a work emergency where the long hours are only temporary. Other people I know have put in these hours for years. I do not know if they are working all these hours, but I do know they are in the office this long. Others put in long office hours because they are addicted to the workplace.

Whatever the reason for putting in overtime, working long hours over the long term is harmful to the person and to the organization.There are things managers can do to change this for everyone's benefit. Being in the office long hours, over long periods of time, makes way for potential errors.

My colleagues who are in the office long hours frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue. Correcting these mistakes requires their time as well as the time and energy of others. I have seen people work Tuesday through Friday to correct mistakes made after 5 PM on Monday.

Another problem is that people who are in the office long hours are not pleasant company.They often complain about other people (who are not working as hard); they are irritable, or cranky, or even angry. Other people avoid them. Such behaviour poses problems, where work goes much better when people work together instead of avoiding one another.

As Managers, there are things we can do to help people leave the office. First and foremost is to set the example and go home ourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long hours. His words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these chiding group e-mails with a time-stamp of 2am, Sunday.

Second is to encourage people to put some balance in their lives. For instance, here is a guideline I find helpful:

1) Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work.
2) Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours.
3) Go home.
4) Read the books/comics, watch a funny movie, dig in the dirt, play with your kids, etc.
5) Eat well and sleep well.

This is called recreating.
Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 enable step 2.
Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts.
They are hard for some of us because that requires ‘personal change’.
They are possible since we all have the power to choose to do them.

In considering the issue of overtime, I am reminded of my oldest son. When he was a toddler, if people were visiting the apartment, he would not fall asleep no matter how long the visit was, and no matter what time of day it was. He would fight off sleep until the visitors left. It was as if he was afraid that he would miss some thing. Once our visitors' left, he would go to sleep. By this time, however, he was over tired and would scream through half the night with nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for his fear of missing out.

Perhaps some people put in such long hours because they do not want to miss anything when they leave the office. The trouble with this is that events will never stop happening. That is life! Things happen 24 hours a day. Allowing for little rest is not ultimately practical. So, take a nap. Things will happen while you are asleep, but you will have the energy to catch up when you wake.

Hence,

"LOVE YOUR JOB, BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE COMPANY STOPS LOVING YOU" - Narayana Murthy

Something to share….

As employees, I am sure we all love our jobs. Question is should we work like a workaholic and expecting our subordinates and staff to be the same?

There is a time to work. There is also time for proper rest and relax to release stress; to play and do regular exercise after work so as to stay healthy.

Working hard is different from working long hours as if can’t stop working. The principle of success is “work hard and work smart”. It is not how much a person works, but it is how he or she works that makes the difference.

Well, we are always reminded of “sense of belonging” when working for any company. Irrespective of our title and position, obviously being employees to any company we are accountable and responsible to our jobs. We have to give in our best efforts to work skillfully, enthusiastically and efficiently to achieve company’s goals and objectives. All in all, we want to contribute and be valued as assets to our companies. We do not wish to become liabilities to our companies!

To me, it’s not a question of falling in love with the company, but rather any employee will feel much secure if being recognized as a team player in the organization. Surely an employee wants to be appreciated, honored and respected by his or her employer and enjoys the rewards in term of salary increment and annual bonus. When there is such a strong bond between employer-employees relationships, then the employees have something to look forward and happy to stay on.

When things turn out otherwise, may be Mr. N Murthy is absolutely right; the company has stopped loving you. You are no more treated as a member of the family, so to speak. That’s the time you better decide to leave the company and call it a day. Go and find another company where you can work and find happiness in your job.

In Colossians 3:23-24, we are taught that we should do our job with all our heart, meaning love our job, as if we are serving our Lord, Jesus Christ.

“Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”

To Err Is Human (My Stupid Mistakes)

Life doesn't always go in a straight line. Making mistakes is part of the game. Some are inevitable and we just have to accept them and make the best of them. But some could have been prevented, which only proves that we didn't learn from our earlier mistakes.

A friend told me about a very special list, a personal accounting of every mistake he made."To make mistakes is normal," he said, "but to make the same mistake twice is inexcusable."

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.- George Santayana

Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience.- Denis Whitley

I liked the idea and immediately adapted his system. That was many years ago and my list has grown to a respectable size! It contains documents and jottings about all the mistakes, the misjudgments, and the stupid decisions I have made.

Being reminded of past mistakes is unpleasant, but I do go through the folder periodically in order to prevent myself from repeating them. It’s a difficult but very effective way to learn. Have you ever thought of making a list of your mistakes? Try it!

Something to share …..

What’s a great idea! Keep a list of our mistakes as days go by for periodical review as we move on in life. To me, “a collection of mistakes” should be known as bitter experiences.

We have been taught, “To err is human.” It’s normal to make mistakes. Otherwise, we will never learn. But it’s just stupid of us to repeat the same mistakes. That’s what team members always being reminded by their team leader.

Inexcusable. Why not?

Well, there is still a tendency of making the same mistakes again if we do not keep a list of our mistakes reminding us not to repeat them. Question is whether we are able to excuse ourselves for such stupidity?

Don’t blame others. Don’t blame your superior. Blame your ownself if you have never learned but appear stupid of committing the same mistakes over and over gain.

On the other hand, we should have learned from our past mistakes and bitter experiences as we move on our career path. We become much wiser in making good judgments and right decisions. The end results are always sweet out of job satisfaction.

Don’t you think so?

To Forgive Is Devine

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

Something to share….

In life, many times when we were embarrassed, insulted or humiliated, we felt hurt and began emotionally upset. Anger started boiling in us and hatred began to grip into our heart. We swore that we would take revenge one day. Worst if we were slapped on the face. Evil thought straightaway flashed across our mind, “Yeah. It must be a tooth to a tooth, an eye to an eye!” That’s human’s wickedness in nature. Too resentful!

Learn to write your emotional wounds in sand. Why? That’s because it will never heal unless you are willing to forgive. If you don’t, do you know that you are the one who really suffers? The pain will dominate your whole life! Make a wise decision. Let the “winds of forgiveness erase it away.”

On the other hand, always be grateful to someone who has been good to you. Be thankful that you have a best friend who is always there to encourage you, to motivate you, and to lift you up when you are down. Bury your gratefulness and thankfulness in your heart as if you “engrave it in a stone where no wind can ever erase it”.

FINISH THE RACE

Have you seen pictures of marathon runners? CONCENTRATION and DETERMINATION seem to ooze from every pore. These people set their hearts and minds on one thing – finish the race. They focus on the next step, the next checkpoint, until the race is complete.

They shed pounds, unnecessary clothing or anything else that might slow them down. Attach their official number and they are ready to run.

Marathon runners not only shed anything that might slow them down, they also dress carefully. They choose the best running shoes and the most comfortable shorts and shirt possible.

We are to live like marathon runners. We are to take off anything that slows us down and set our hearts and minds on the finish line.

- THE NIV QUIET TIME BIBLE (Pg 1466 & 1467)

Something to share …..

When we have acquired the positive attitude and the correct mindset of a marathon runner, then there will not be any excuses that a work is half done or half undone. A work half done or half undone is no better than a work not done. The result is the same at the end of the day. You have not delivered! Can any excuses given can reverse the situation and make the work done? Obviously, the answer is “No”. After all, a work not done is not done, irrespective of any excuses given.

DETERMINATION is the main key to get work done. Once you are determined to get work done, you will find ways and means to complete it at the end of the day. Any obstacles along the way will not stop you from accomplishment because you are so focused and concentrated on the job that you have probably made up your mind not only to get it done, but you also want to do the best out of it. Once you have made up your mind, you have already pictured yourself on the finish line.

Many have been touched by the real story of a marathon runner finishing the race in the last place 40 years ago. John Steven Akhwari was from Tanzania. He participated in the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. Unluckily, he fell badly during the race and he was bruised with blood on his injured leg. It seemed that he was the only runner left on the track as he entered the stadium that evening. It was reported that, just about an hour ago, the winner of the marathon race had been declared over the official announcement.

Apparently, John Steven Akhwari, being a DISCIPLINED marathon runner full of DEDICATION and DETERMINATION, did not give up with a bandaged leg but pressed on as he hobbled in pain to reach the finish line. The remaining crowd of spectators roared out their appreciation with cheer and applauds just as he crossed the finish line. For the very first time, an athlete finished in the last place was given a standing ovation! Obviously, this act of PERSISTENCE, PERSEVERANCE and DETERMINATION had won him the due respect from all over the world.

When asked why he continued running, he simply answered, "My country did not send me 7,000 miles to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me here to finish it.” His words had indeed inspired many people and motivated them.