Organizations need Role Models?

The very thought of writing an article on this subject came to my mind when I was having an interesting conversation with a friend of mine about 'Paul Graham' (http://www.paulgraham.com/index.html) essays, where he generally speaks about his experiences on life.

In the course of the conversation it seems according to 'Paul Graham', to start an organization, you need two kinds of people, the so called 'Nerds' as well as so called 'Rich', which I partly agreed but not fully. Then slowly the conversation started to revolve around, what needs to be done differently to make an organization better and unique and what is the missing parameters in present scenario and where and all it can be improved and so on so forth.

So is this article, I generally talk about my views about an organization, which needs to be a better place to work with both personally and professionally.

Need for Role Models:
First and foremost, we felt something is missing in most of the organizations, the necessity of having ROLE MODELs, whom we can look upto and get inspired at any given point of time.

Often in work or in an organization, knowingly or unknowingly we get satisfied always, in terms of sharing something technically or getting works done. But when it comes to a question of having Role Models who can inspire you or make a very positive difference in your life on the whole, it remains silent.

According to me, this is a very common problem across organizations. We don't have THAT somebody who can influence one's life. In other words we need Role Models for the better.

The classic example is Infy's Narayana Murthy, who can make a huge impact on the lives of the peoples around him. Very few are like him and that according to me is the number one problem for an organization and its growth.

A Role Model need not be a great person, whom the whole of the organization to look upon. There can be Role Models well within teams too. This realisation according to me will make the search for the one easier for the organization.

Need for Orators:
Another point that comes to my mind is of having great 'Orators' in an organization, who can just inspire you with their talks. They provide tremendous impact in the values and growth of an individual as well as the organization. But to be an Orator is not a small thing, it’s an art, it's a gift given by the Almighty to talk with such command. But i strongly feel with an effort, one can get there.

Also often I feel many organizations might be having Orators in one form or the other. But the problem is the top management fails to make an effort to recognize them and tap them to talk because of which now they are confined to their own set of people/groups, not to the entire organization.

In this case, the classic example is Subroto Bagchi of Mindtree, who can inspire you to do great things in life. His speeches and articles are very much inspiring and can have a huge impact in one's life.

How to make Role Models:
i) Mentorial Programs:
One of the most effective ways of creating Role Models across an organization is to have Mentorial Programs, where in the top management of the organization picks potentially 'good' candidates (professionally and personally) with experience from the industry to be the mentors for the freshers.

According to me this will be a very important and crucial step in shaping their careers, which in due course of time will reflect in the growth of an organization.

ii) Advantages of Mentorial Programs:
Most often, those who newly joined are fresh from a college and often feel left out in an organization, till they join a team. This is a very common complaint from them. This often leads to frustrations and this is not a good trend for the growth of an organization. But having a mentor right from the day one, of their joining the organization, will not only make this frustration vanish but also make them feel that they are not sidelined. They feel comfortable and realise their importance by having somebody with them to guide them from all angles.

iii) Mentors can turn to be Role Models:
Once this trend starts and continues, the so called Mentors automatically move to the slot, called 'Role Models' and over a period of time these new ones, turn themselves as Mentors/Role Models for the coming batches some day. This according to me will be a very healthy sign for the growth of an organization, where you create Role Models in abundance.

iv) Way to go:
So this practice needs to be taken up across organizations and frankly speaking it doesn't require any investment but only the will. Surely it will pave the way for an organization to have plenty of Mentors and Role Models and thus make the organization move forward with great values.

Cheers
Aaryan

Professional Touch

There are professionals and more professionals. But still, the wheat can be separated from the chaff; the real ones can be spotted and differentiated from the imitation.

Here's what it takes to be a 'real' IT professional.

Commitment
A professional identifies himself at all times with his profession. The details of his profession are built in as a second nature to the professional. A pre-requisite to being a true professional is commitment to ones profession.

Learning
The most important aspect of a true professional is his/her focus on learning everyday. In today's super-sonic world where lifecycles of products, technologies, processes and tools are becoming narrower, the need has risen for 'quick learning', especially on a continuous basis. A true professional learns all the nuances of his/her profession through his focus on continuous learning.

Improvement
Continuous focus on improvement is yet another ingredient that goes into the making of a true-bred professional. To ensure continuous improvement, a professional would, at every stage measure current performance against set targets, identify the cause for deviation, if any, and make the necessary mid-course corrections to ensure that he/she is back on the track of achieving your objectives.

Attitude
And it takes oodles of attitude (the right one, I mean) to make a true professional. The worthiness of a job depends on how you look at it. And it takes courage to do something your heart tells you to do.

Clamping negativism
A true professional never blames fate nor does he/she find recourse in hollow excuses.

Detachment
A true professional is one who is committed to the task, passionate and yet detached. This may seem contradictory but it is not upon reflection. It allows a professional to walk away, not take undue credit, allow to self-critique and not become defensive about the outcome.

cheers
Aaryan