Hi All
Today was quite a long day at office and I had been interacting with people for close to 8 hours since morning 10 AM to evening 10 PM....was really feeling quite refreshing while travelling back as I relished the silence of the mind out of exhaustion, the good rain that was continuously present through out the drive in my motor cycle (I had rain coats on but still was completely wet by the time I reached home)
I would like to proudly present the tale of some other transcendance that happened with me today....The Quality team of our office came up with an wonderful idea during Jan 2007 in the form of an exhibition on sharing of best practises amongst the various teams within our company...Just to give a glimpse of what this could mean we have around 1200 people right now reporting to around 35 Managers in total .... working on numerous systems, having different markets across the globe and needing totally different type of skill sets too....
This was a huge success and we got the announcement from the QO couple of days back with some improvisation in the anvil about the exhibition during Jan 2008....its going to be three areas of display...some thing on small little things that every one can replicate....some thing on what we do on training people.....some real big practises.....!! I have a 20 member team reporting to me today while in during Jan, I was a loner working on a IT project....I had wandered to various stalls but NOW I really have an opportunity to prove to myself if I am just a piece of life eager to keep talking OR some one who can inspire others to do something TANGIBLE.....(My current team did not participate the last year bonanza at all.....as I understand that it could not be "prioritised")
I had scheduled half hour time for my whole team at 10 AM...I went bit late today as I missed my usual train reaching at 9.50 AM but had mentally rehearsed the flow of the crisp kickoff meeting....(thanks to the training program that I went during last week)....Wanted to have an ice breaker before telling people crisply on what this exhibition is all about & the possibilities that this can make to us as a team and as an individual....I was so confident that without this meeting too, many would have eagerly joined their hands together to make a great show BUT I wanted all of them to play some part.....& more importantly, I had to open up few hard nuts who are quite sincere BUT too serious.....!!
How to have an icebreaker...Normally my team stares me with pin drop silence....and I assume that its out of respect for me !! many have confessed that they admire the way I speak and all my jokes which I spill all over them and the way I put forth my points....but now, this was a different situation.....I wanted them to present myself bit different and feel really excited about this challenge on Time Management and getting over nervousness that they are going to face.....(at least half of them). I casually asked some one to sing...with full confidence that none will....Then after a full minute, I suggested I can sing if no one is willing......There was visible startling expression (can this fellow sing too....?? I had pasted one of my poems "MRTS" a week back in our social club corner.....) and they eagerly nodded their head....
I closed my eyes and kept still for 20 seconds....then started one of my favourites from the second para instead of the starting lines "koovigindra kuyilai kootukkul vaithu....." ...in the song "kalyaana naalai kondaadum penne".....This is the first time I am singing and got a thunderous applause from them...Then I asked my immediate reportee to sing....whom I know sings fairly well...after some hesitation he sang....and got his share of applause...
Then when I asked for one last song, some wonderful thing happened...there is some latest recruit who is very quiet and yet to find herself oriented with the work and the new environment....I tried my luck with her....& believe me, without much hesitation she sang a voice perfectly fine.....much much more than what I had expected...That was a triple discovery for the team as we keep scrambling for some fun at work initatives when we celebrate birthdays or go for outings.....!!
Then the meeting started and the delivery of the crisp message was made with the much more involved people...Forgot to tell, there were couple of jokes and KADI jokes shared by few members instead of songs before we got started...
That is one of the evergreen musings of a person who seems to steadily walk towards the peak....I really felt today that I can sing from now on in public....which I had NEVER done before....!!
suchoo
Dec 18, 2007
Transcendance - 7 ::: "Making debut in SINGING"
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1 comments:
Hi Suchoo,
My thoughts on reading a few of your recent postings.....
Gurus & Gurus everhwhere, My First presentation recorded & I started questioninig : - I can sense and feel the enjoyment that you attained during the training session. No doubt, such training sessions bring in a sense of deja-vu in individuals. But, you know, all such training sessions do always raise one big question in me - "Is it all about being acknowledged?". Though that is not the only aspect - the recognition and acknowledgement factor are, per me, very big factors that lay beneath every human. But more than the accolades from others - its how you feel within, that counts. But, generally, it is clouded by the responses that we seek. How would you have felt if you were not been able to perform your best during such training sessions? What if everyone had laughed at you for your ignorance, poor aptitude and poor IQ? What if, if you had been the worst performer of the whole lot? Could you have still felt the same level of happiness and achievement about the program?
"Things falling in place" ... So, you dont wish to put that in the "co-incidence" bracket.. right? The banker accepting your reqeust; the hapless family friend of yours who had to accept your request and you brow beating as if its all your achievement or effort....... I have a different opinion on the whole incident.
"Connecting learnings & events" - Leave alone your training - anything, anything that would have helped you to assuage the feelings of Perimma is worth appreciation. I can easily see the frustration and sufferings of the older generation - especially the female sect of our family. They have all undergone too much of sufferings (except perhaps Meenakshi Perimma). And numerous emotional upheavals that they face these days are quite understandable.
"Singing" - So you never knew that you can sing in front of others? Pity !! Whether you were able to break open the shell of others or not, it doesnt matter - that you could do it for yourself is by no means a mean achievement.
On the whole - I think, even without your training program or even without you being designated as a Manager in waiting - you could have achieved and done all these (whatever you have stated in your previous few postings). My personal opinion is that you are now able to link happenings and incidences to some theory sessions that you had recently and nothing more. Leadership quality, per me, is not instilled, its in-born. Ones personality accounts for that and never have a doubt that you posses one (hope you understand that I am not just talking about physical appearance). And, in my humble opinion, all such training sessions wont help when it comes to crunch and pressure cooker situation - (unless otherwise they are exactly the same that was practiced, which is almost impossible) - its ones' instincts and attitude that would come to the fore. I can never go on and say that a simple three day training session inculcated so much in me and it was able to bring in a drastic change in me. May be, if one outshines in the whole program, it could boost ones own confidence level. As said, yes, we will be able to link - but an overall change in perception, attitude, behaviour, approach ... well.. I have a different opinion. We always differ.. dont we?
-Gowri..
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