What is my career path

Australia doesn’t cease to amaze me. One day, when I was browsing, I came across something very interesting. South East Try a Trade and Careers Expo 2015 it said. Now a career expo sounds very exciting for some one who is looking out for opportunities and it did excite me too.

When I did some bit of reading on the expo, I realised that it wasn’t for experienced professionals. The target audience was completely different.  It was an expo for high school students. Now did that disappoint me? ‘No’. While I was growing up, I had never been to a career expo myself and this completely intrigued me. I decided that I would go pay it a visit.

I dragged my spouse and my two year old to the expo. When we reached the venue, as anticipated, I saw a lot of school buses. My daughter was very excited to see a lot of children and balloons too.  As we entered, a huge truck welcomed us. Children were exploring the war truck from the Australian Army. I was just amazed. There were more surprises inside, right from horticulturists to hair dressers, from chefs to carpenters, from masons to musicians, all the options were thrown open to children to explore. The local police was also there, not to ensure law and order but explaining the roles and the job they do. I saw a young girl trying her hand at carpentry and some others trying to make cup cakes. It was a great sight. Such an awareness is so necessary for children in choosing their career path. Education sometimes becomes so academic that children tend to get lost in books not knowing where to head. Peer pressure, parental pressure makes them even more confused about the choices that they can make.  But such an expo was a brilliant opportunity for them to know all about trades and, if nothing, pursue them as a hobby.

I haven’t seen too many countries that place so much importance on trades which are a source of livelihood for a lot of people and I am impressed with Australia. Now this expo was not just all about trades. It had people from varied industries like IT, Farming, Government, Health and Fitness, Hospitality and of course what students are most after – Universities. They were all there explaining to students patiently, giving them examples and insights which would eventually help them choose a career path. Interested students were all given a chance to paint, cook, be a gardener, try a hand at music and dance.  There was also a lot of information on apprenticeships and internships and opportunities too.

I don’t know how many organisations take a step forward to bring awareness to children but it reminded me of an initiative run by the IT major Infosys. Catch them Young, was a program aiming at providing students a head start in understanding Information Technology.  During their summer vacation, students were selected through an entrance exam and top performers got an opportunity to work alongside experienced Infosys professionals on exciting projects.  These students were given a chance to try something which they could pursue later in life.  As a corporate social responsibility or something to do for the community, I do wish many more organisations come forward in raising awareness especially in schools.

Under normal circumstances, given the rising costs of higher education, trying something out before we choose a career path could prove to be an expensive affair. But career expos like these most certainly help children and parents in making an informed decision. I certainly wish I had a chance to be at such expos while I was growing up, but better late than never. I didn’t regret going to this one.

Corporate Governance is so boring

About seven years ago, I became student again. I was so interested in Human Resource Management that I left my job to pursue an MBA. It was a packed course with loads of learning and it changed my life (for good). There were common courses for all specialisations and there were separate courses depending on what one chose to specialise in.

I can’t remember many of the courses we had, but I strikingly remember a course called Corporate Governance and Ethics. Before the course was to start, there were various reactions from my batch mates. One said, “Really?, we have a course on ethics?” I overheard someone else say “It should have been a part of the HR curriculum, why is it for all of us?”. I remember that the attendance for this class was at an all time low. I mean who wants to study ethics, it’s common sense right?

So I began to wonder. ”Is corporate governance and ethics only for the HR departments?” “Will HR be held responsible for scams or scandals?” Everyone knows that the answer is ‘No’ and every one also knows that ethical behaviour is expected from each and every individual of the organisation. But sometimes we just choose to bury our head in sand.

I was looking at the results of a survey undertaken by EY in 2011 in Europe and was surprised by the findings. Organisations knew that lack of ethics posed a huge risk but failed to take any measures to address in this risk in a meaningful way. The results also showcased on how employees knew that when there was pressure to perform and drive successful results for the company, integrity was often a casualty. Despite the numerous scandals and scams that come out each year, people are complacent. I am not surprised, because a few years later when I was driving the HR governance framework, almost no one was interested. It was probably the last thing anyone wanted to know about because ‘It’s so boring’ and ‘I am so busy’. The only time every one was interested about it was when there was an audit, and sometimes that would be too late. Not every one realises that governance and ethics is not a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘must have’.

Being busy and turning a blind eye could probably work as a short term measure, but what about the long run? The same survey results that I referred to also showed that the statistics were positive when it came to people wanting to work for an ethical employer, so it does pay for organisations who look beyond ethics and governance as a regulation or compliance (usually an inconvenient requirement). They realise that acting with integrity and good governance can be good for business in the long run. Cutting corners can only do so much.

The course that I was talking about in the beginning of my post, Corporate Governance and Ethics, continues to be a part of the curriculum of MBA programs around the world. It is not just to create awareness but also to help students in running successful and sustainable businesses. HR can contribute positively to building this culture but the front runners are the senior leadership.  So for all the students who aspire to be successful leaders in the future, this one is not just an HR course, it is something that you cannot afford to miss.

As the saying goes, ‘It takes less time to do a thing right than to explain why you did it wrong’. -H.W Longfellow

******* The Diamond Necklace *******

Everyone’s eyes were on the bride. She was draped in a kanjeevaram saree, the mustard colour added to the glow of her face.

‘Nice Couple’, Chandra quipped looking at the bride and the groom. Her husband Ramanujam nodded absently, he was looking around in the crowd to see if he could see any familiar faces. ‘Chandra mami, do you want to come up to say hi to the bride and the groom?’ Priya said as she gently patted Chandra’s back. Priya was Chandra’s neighbor. She was the sister of the groom Prabhu.  Chandra gazed at Priya remembering the first time she met her. Priya had moved in to the apartment opposite Chandra two years ago along with her husband Kartik and 1 year old son Pratik, she was working in a top IT firm.  She befriended Chandra and used to affectionately call her ‘mami’ meaning aunt. Chandra often used to cook delicacies and offer to Priya and her family. Her only daughter being abroad, she saw glimpses of her in Priya.

Priya had often mentioned about her brother Prabhu , he was with the Indian navy. She used to tell Chandra how difficult it was to find a bride for him. ‘These days Chandra mami, no one wants to give a girl to some one in navy, they all want software engineers’,She used to say. Chandra used to smile and say, ‘matches are made up there’ pointing to the sky.

A gentle pat brought Chandra back to the wedding hall. ‘ do you want to go meet Ratna and Prabhu  Chandra mami ?’ Priya repeated. Ramanujam readily got up before Chandra responded. He was clearly impatient, he hadn’t found one common friend in the hall and was eager to wish the bride and the groom and check out the food being served.

Chandra got up too, smiling at Priya. As they walked towards the dias, she couldn’t help but notice the grandeur of the wedding. Moving closer to where the bride and the groom were, she noticed that Prabhu was smart. This was the first time she was seeing him. She had heard a lot about him from Priya. Priya had Ramanujam and Chandra travel all the way to Coimbatore for the wedding. They didn’t mind it either, after all Priya was the sponsor and it was a good change for the retired couple.

They climbed up the steps and were nearing the bride and the groom when Chandra’s eye fell on the diamond necklace worn by the bride. It glittered , shone, reflected all the possible colours. Chandra couldn’t take her eyes off the necklace. Ramanujam gently nudged her, and she looked up at Ratna’s face, Priya introduced them, Chandra smiled at the couple and exchanged pleasantries. Ramanujam congratulated them and they stood there for a few seconds to have their photograph clicked. Chandra also gave her digital  camera to the photographer and requested him to take a snap.

‘Mami, sapadu is being served’ Priya said pointing towards the dinner section, she probably had noticed Ramanujam. Chandra nodded and said ‘We’ll have Priya, don’t worry’. Her mind still lingered on the diamond necklace though.’How much do you think it is worth?’ She asked Ramanujam as Priya walked away from them. ‘What’? Ramanujam didn’t have an inkling of what she was asking? ‘The necklace, she said, I didn’t notice, he said. Chandra pulled her camera out from her hand bag and said ‘See in this and tell ‘ Ramanujam stared at her to check if she was joking. He realized that she was very serious and took the camera from her hand. He looked at the photo and took a wild guess and answered, not less than 2 Crores. Chandra’s jaw dropped. Ramanujam smiled and said ‘seri, come let’s have food’ as he moved towards the dining hall. Chandra followed him, but she had lost her appetite. The diamond necklace haunted her. She couldn’t believe Prabhu’s luck. ‘They had such a hard time finding a bride for him, and look at what they got finally, lucky boy’ she exclaimed.  Ramanujam smiled and replied, ‘matches are made up there’ pointing up to the sky and started to walk towards the dining area.

Take a break

Many of us at some point in time in our lives intend to take a break from our work life but circumstances don’t really allow us to.

‘How will I manage my finances’

‘What if I can never find a job again?’

‘How will I justify a gap in my CV?’

A lot of insecurities nag us and then we continue with our daily run-of -the-mill work and chores.

It has been over six months that I decided to take a break from work.  There are some days when I wonder if that was the right decision. But deep down I know very well that this has probably the best decision that I have ever made in my life.

On the personal front,  got a lot of time to spend with my family which I probably wouldn’t have experienced if I was busy with work. I had almost forgotten about work, not quite.

On the contrary, as I thought of resuming work again, I began to reflect on all the work I had done. I sat talking to a few recruiters and as we spoke about a few areas I thought, ‘oh yes, I have done that why hadn’t I thought of that’, ‘That tool, yes I know it can be a monster’. Slowly it was all coming back to me. And even better it was because it eventually started becoming very clear to me on what to focus on.

Had I continued with what I was doing, I probably wouldn’t have got a chance to reflect on the work that I had accomplished.  That is because most of us do not have the luxury of time.  Our daily activities at work and home barely give us any time to do so.  These day to day chores cloud our brains and make us forget who we are and what we are actually capable of.

Hang on a minute, I am not an advocate for sabbaticals and it is not my intention that every one reading this must immediately think of taking a sabbatical for long periods of time.  What I am talking about is a break which could be just a few days where you can take your mind away from the routine. It could even be those short coffee breaks at work. It is something that can stimulate your mind to think and reflect rather than going on like a robot.

Take a break!  Because

• a break helps you look at your life with a fresh pair of eyes (and mind)
• one can reflect on what all they have worked on and then prioritise on what he/she really wants to do in the future ( instead of being stuck in an every day routine with no time to think and reflect)
• you can focus your energies on how to achieve what you want to do
• you begin to appreciate the mysteries that life unravels
• last but not the least, it relaxes your mind and gets you ready for the adventure called life

So that is when it starts to get clear and the clouds disappear and then you don’t have to worry about justifying that gap on your CV or finding another work or managing your finances.

-DV

One for the bo’okra’ck!!

I was out at the market – shopping for groceries – yesterday. I’m surprised to admit it but grocery shopping is a great pastime. Before you judge me as a shopaholic, let me clarify that I am not. Whenever I go to shop, I go with a list and finish that.  I hate window shopping and don’t spend a lot of time comparing things and wondering if it’s cheaper in another shop. Let me come back to grocery shopping. I do spend some good amount of time in order to buy fresh fruits, veggies and things needed for the house.

So, I was out to buy veggies the other day and was thrilled to see some fresh Okra (Lady’s Finger).  It is a green vegetable that feels hollow from inside, when you cut it, there is a gooey liquid.  I’m sure that doesn’t sound delicious, but it’s a great vegetable and my husband’s favourite too!

Okra is very tasty when it is tender. It is easy to cut, cook and eat too. The ones that haven’t been plucked at the right stage end up being slightly hard – extremely fibrous and horrible to eat. We have all been taught in our childhood that the best way to spot tender Okra is by the tail. ‘Try and nip the tail, if it snaps immediately, pick that up’; that is the mantra.  Although hands tend to become slightly gooey after trying to pick the right ones, it is worth the effort. I usually end up spending a good 10 – 15 minutes picking up Okra when shopping for groceries.

The other day I did the same too. My eyes on the Okra tails and my fingers furiously snapping the tails to make sure they were tender enough to be picked up.  When I had picked up a sufficient amount, I looked at the bag that I had collected them in.  It didn’t seem right. I had picked up the tender ones after so much care but I realized that I hadn’t noticed the top part of the Okras.  Some of them were cut on top and some of them were drying too.  I had been looking only at the tails and ignored the vegetable as a whole.

This little trip to the market was an eye opener for me as I realized how short-sighted in life we tend to become.  We see in our surroundings what we want to see and consciously or unconsciously choose to ignore everything else.  It is not bad to focus on one thing, but often we forget the bigger picture or the real reason why we were focusing on that one thing in the first place.  If we can always remember the purpose of our actions, they result will indeed be fulfilling.

Well, as for the Okras, I spent another 5 minutes picking the right ones up but in life we may not always have a second chance. 

Thank you dear lady(‘s finger) for the learning! 

– Divya Varadarajan

Self-reliant yet dependent?

 

Where’s my identity?

I was bored, so I decided to write something.  The problem is that I am not a good writer. My husband is,  but he doesn’t write these days, he says he needs to be in a ‘Zone’ to write.

 

I am not so sure I know what a ‘Zone’ is. Nevertheless, I decided to write.

 

 I have been hearing a lot about ‘empowering of women’ in the Indian media these days thanks to Rahul Gandhi (for those who don’t know him, please look him up on Google, there is a lot of info on his pedigree and his leadership). Politics is not my area of interest (that makes me wonder what my area of interest is but I’ll leave that for later), I am not going to write about it – what I am going to write about is a story.  A story of a hard working woman.

 

 

Mary is in her forties, she has two children, a boy in the cusp of adulthood who doesn’t want to complete his studies and prefers doing odd jobs instead, a girl studying in secondary school who wants to be a nun. Her husband was partially paralyzed a few years ago leaving Mary to be the sole breadwinner of the family. During the years that he was active, it wasn’t that he was of any use to his family, he ended up spending all his money drinking or on his ‘other’ woman. It was quite common for him to hurl abuses at Mary and ill-treat her.  Mary struggled to make ends meet for her children.  She did lots of jobs and started tailoring to support the family.  It was then someone suggested that she take up a job abroad so that she could make more money to support her family.  She thought it was a good idea, she moved to live with a family to take care of their children, she did this for two years. Fate bought Mary to me, I was looking for someone to help me take care of my baby and she was looking for work too and she moved in with us.

 

One day she looked very disturbed (she usually does when her folks call her up). I asked her what the matter was and she told me that her husband was ill. When I asked her what had happened, she said that he was probably drunk and had a fall. I asked her if her son took him to the hospital. She said that he did. She was worried. And what she went on to say took me by surprise.  She said, ‘ I need him, if he dies I will be a lone woman in this world and nobody will respect me’.  I tried hard to understand these words, here was a lady who had striven hard to support her children and give them a decent living, struggled to support a drunkard  and partially paralyzed husband.  I failed to understand why no one would not respect her if her husband was no more. If anything they must respect her for all the hardships she has gone through. What does respect have to do with being married?

 

Then I realized the reality that we live in. All men are not like Mary’s husband and not all women are like Mary but I have to say that society, to a large extent, is still patriarchal and chauvinistic.  In most families these days, men have started to appreciate the role that women play and are happy to get their hands dirty in household chores too. But there is the other side of society where the story is entirely different; no matter what men do or not do, women will still depend on them and count on them as someone who can give them an identity in the society. No matter how much we empower women, unless there is a change in mind-set (society, in its totality), nothing can be done about it.

 

 

So that is the end of the story really. Can I change Mary’s way of thinking? I can try, I am not entirely convinced I will be successful. Her beliefs are deep rooted. But  there something else we all can do. When we raise our children, no matter what gender they are we must teach them to respect themselves as individuals.  We must also make sure that we nurture them and give them strong values to grow up as good human beings so that they can appreciate others too.

 

I am wondering if I can write more, but this is where my thoughts have ended.  Possibly this is what it means to be in a ‘Zone’. That’s another learning for the day!

– Divya Varadarajan

 

Oh! Cyprus!

This small village on the way to the Troodos mountains.

Is Dark Tourism insensitive?

They are taking down the pine tree. I need to rush now. At $1,950 I think it’s a steal.

Really?

This was my reaction when my friend phoned me a few months ago of his plan to go to Japan. He wanted to go see the Miracle Pine at Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. The 88ft pine was the only surviving tree in a forest of 70,000 which was wiped out when the tsunami hit Rikuzentakata, Iwate prefecture. And now the pine is building on tourism. To me – THAT is the miracle.

When did we, as a society, change so much? How can we look to showcase collective grief and build an economy/trade around it? Chernobyl, Ground Zero, Auschwitz, etc. tell tales of agony of scores of people. Building a memorial around it is to honour the lives lost, not the gateway to encashing on the tragedy.

“Going to China? You must try and visit Nanjing and see the Massacre Memorial Hall.” “Traveling to Cambodia? Peel off for half a day and go to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.”

It has been long debated that during crisis, humans have a pathological tendency to magnify their misfortunes to gain sympathy. Sympathy is a tool of survival for some. Time for us to figure out if Dark Tourism is a genuine need to educate the world on hardships endured or if it is just economic lust.

What are your thoughts on Dark Tourism?

Related articles

• Dark Tourism Brings Light to Disaster Zones (thejakartaglobe.com)
• Dark Tourism and Prisons (ruthpenfoldmounce.wordpress.com)
• Embracing Dark Tourism: a day at Chernobyl (continentalbreakfasttravel.wordpress.com)

The Power of Personalized Employee Recognition

What is the purpose of employee recognition? It is to express appreciation for and validation of a person’s extraordinary contribution, extra effort or other accomplishment above and beyond the daily expectations. This is a simple concept. After all, one of the first things we teach our children is to say, “Thank you,” to others. So why, is showing appreciation or saying, “Thank you” so difficult in organizations? I believe the answer is that many organizations focus on implementing Employee Recognitionprograms instead of working to create a culture of high performance standards and sincere appreciation. And, since most of the programs are designed, implemented and managed by the Human Resources department, all too often the action being recognized and the moment of recognition becomes diminished by red tape, committee review, final approvals and the passage of time.

One of the most mind-numbing meetings that I have ever attended was a presentation by a Director of HR at one of my former employers. She had been leading a task force comprised of managers, HR Business Partners and employee representatives throughout the company to create a new Employee Recognition Program. While I don’t remember the details of the program, I vividly remember the two-hour meeting in which the team talked about their proposal. I sat there as they reviewed detailed categories of the types of things employees could do to merit recognition and how the various contributions aligned to certain levels of recognition in the program. This was followed by pages of guidelines that defined who was qualified to be recognized and how often; the specific categories of allowable recognition; and how it was all going to be managed and monitored to ensure the program wasn’t abused. I remember thinking, “Geez, employee recognition should be a lot more fun! It should be a heart felt “thank you” to the person receiving the recognition. Recognition should create a buzz that inspires others, not be one big blob of bureaucratic red tape!” My mind drifted to the words, “Encouraging the Heart,” which is how Kouzes and Posner describe employee recognition in their book, The Leadership Challenge. This program had no heart! I left the meeting depressed.

As life’s lessons often go, I walked straight from that meeting to my monthly one-on-one with the SVP of Product Development. One of the topics he wanted to talk about was a special recognition bonus for an employee who had just completed a complex project that was of great value to the company. He was seeking my support to recommend a large spot bonus cash award. Given the details of her work and contribution there was no question the award would have been approved, and I told him that. However, I was still thinking about meaningful recognition, so I suggested a different approach. Drawing on the principles of “Encouraging the Heart,” I saw this as an opportunity for the leader to really do something special, something personal, something that would have greater impact than a check. So I helped the manager brainstorm some other ideas that might have more of a wow-factor. I asked him what the employee liked to do and he said she was an avid hiker. I thought we were on to something, so I suggested he do something along those lines. In the end we agreed to give the employee an extra day off for a long weekend and a significant gift card to a local sports store. He really embraced the idea and off he went.

The following week I received a visit from the manager who was brimming with excitement. The employee had been deeply moved by the personal recognition. She had told him it was the most meaningful “thank you” message she had received in her career, even though she had been the recipient of many cash bonuses in the past. Furthermore, the impact of that personal and heartfelt recognition stayed with her through the years. She went on to be one of our top managers and carried that same level of thoughtfulness as she led her teams. (By the way, the final cost for this personal recognition was less than one-tenth of the amount the SVP original wanted to pay in the cash bonus—a win-win).

I have since used this approach many times with my own teams, or when designing organizational recognition guidelines and coaching leaders. It’s simple, it’s meaningful and it is often more impactful than cash. Why? Because personal recognition is sincere. It demonstrates to the employee that their unique contribution deserves unique appreciation and that you have invested some thought to make the moment special.

Of course, there are other aspects to developing a culture of appreciation, and there are budget, guidelines and governance issues that always need to be considered. But you will never go wrong if you remember the following tip: “While recognition programs and similar organizational rituals have their place, the best encouragement is always given personally, according to the individual’s own value system. Find out what your direct reports, leaders and peers find meaningful and recognize each individual accordingly.”

 

This article is by Terri Robberson, VP & Senior Consultant at The HR Difference.

Monsters University is worth watching

I’ve always been an ardent fan of animated movies. I remember my first animated movie – Toy Story. I was completely captivated by the science and art that went behind making such movies. And since then, I’ve barely missed one.

Monsters Inc. was one movie I never stopped talking about. I would recommend it to everyone who told me, “Not such a big fan of animation”. I was sure their perception would change. And Sully, Mike and Boo would do it! After seeing Toy Story, Ice Age and Shrek rip out sequels, I was really hoping there would be a sequel to Monsters Inc.

Mid 2013 and out came the ‘prequel’. I was both happy and disappointed. Happy to see that Billy Crystal and John Goodman hadn’t forgotten the characters from 12 years ago. Happy to see that the deuteragonist of Monsters Inc. was (at least perceivably) the protagonist of Monsters University. Happy to see that the story was beautifully structured. And happy that I was disappointed only for the sheer familiarity of the main characters and certain scenes that could have been tied well together – the basic editing and ‘rushing through’ some events in the movie.

As with most animated movies, once you get to know the characters, you only look forward to the plot and wait with baited breath for that one scene with situational humour that is good enough to leave you with fond memories of the $ you spent that evening. At stages, I could literally predict the flow of the movie. There are portions that are quite dull but these are, thankfully, few and far between scenes. The characters are loveable – quite admittedly so. Squishy (the talented Peter Sohn) and Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) were, without doubt, incredibly perfect characters in the movie outside of Mike (Crystal) and Sullivan (Goodman).

12 years is a long time to release a sequel/prequel but I think this helped in the success of MU. The ones who watched Monsters Inc. as a 12-year old child must have gone back to look for the ‘what’s new’ element. The ones who are currently 12 years old would have wanted to go watch it anyway. And the neither 12 nor 24, like me, went to see what took them 12 years for this.

In all, a wholesome movie. Fabulous concept, great details in the animation and charming characters. If you’ve seen Monsters Inc., you must watch MU; you will fall in love with the characters (again). If you haven’t seen Monsters Inc., I strongly recommend you see Monsters University first and then (definitely, positively) watch Monsters Inc.

My verdict: 3.5/5