The gratitude…that was gratifying
It feels good to hear words of encouragement from your superiors.
Recognition by contemporaries more often than not borders on flattery.
But nothing can match the genuine appreciation from an understudy. There is a purity of purpose in the same.
This morning I was in for a pleasant surprise. A former colleague, part of my team a few years back, buzzed after a long time. Frankly speaking, it had been a few years we had worked together and…suffice to say I had moved on in life. That he buzzed was unexpected.
During the course of the conversation he informed me he had switched jobs. Even as I was congratulating him I also felt genuinely happy. When he had joined me as an understudy he was straight out of college. It was his first job but I could make out he wasn’t exactly content.
The enthusiasm of making an impression in his maiden workplace was amiss. Being the department head apart from ensuring smooth functioning it was also my responsibility to motivate my team members to give their best. I took him out to the nearby bean drink outlet hoping to have an informal chat, understand what exactly was going on in his mind.
After a bit of prodding he opened up, telling me he wasn’t enjoying the work atmosphere. Things were too slow and there were a lot of bottlenecks in the way, he confided in me. Even as he was elaborating on his point I realized I was enduring the same problem, albeit at a higher level.
There were too many people to please and somewhere in this ego-satisfaction exercise work suffered, the pace of work to be precise. If a mid-level professional was struggling for motivation imagine the plight of a young man, raring to go.
I could empathize with him on more levels than one. When I was an upstart I had faced a similar problem. I joined a huge company and few days into my maiden job…I was not quite enjoying it. In the hindsight, I understand the company was too big a brand, and in such a big organization individual ambitions died a natural death. Then again, in the hindsight we are all wise.
Back then, it was a desperate effort to impress those who weren’t interested in being impressed. Ideas, plan of action and a proactive attitude was nipped at the bud. For the powers to be I was an inconsequential, small fly who had to be swatted before he took off.
Then there were the superiors, some of whom were content with fat pay packages at the start of the months, and others who had spent so many years in that organization that they were hesitant to look out for another job. Blame it on complacency or lower self esteem but this lot, though capable of doing a lot, had lost all confidence. Their frustrations would be vented during the intermittent tea-breaks.
On a positive note a couple a them had taken a liking for me. So much so that they kept advising me if I wanted my career to take off I should quit immediately. Instead of working for a big brand where your ambitions are crushed, work with an organization where you can grow professionally, they suggested. It was a matter of time before I heeded to their advice, thanked them and not only switched jobs, but also cities — getting out of the comfort zone, that is. Honestly, the next decade was one where I peaked professionally.
The advise I had received from my seniors at my maiden workplace I passed on to my understudy, in what was his first workplace. I exhorted him to make the switch before complacency set in, before he lost all motivation and before he was content being another salaried individual, sans ambitions.
That apart, now that I was aware of what was going on in his mind I had to make sure that I kept him engaged, followed up with him and was there for him when he needed me. Besides, I suggested him options where he could try his luck and continued motivating him to make the switch. Each time he went for an interview he would come back to tell me how it went.
Every now and then I would keep reminding him what I have all along believed should be the cardinal rule for all working professionals: if you are not enjoying either your work or your workplace (or both) it is time to start looking for an alternative. Continuation, in such a scenario, is a great disservice to both the company in question, and the individual per se.
I didn’t continue long enough to see him through, leaving that company soon after, and finding a way out before I reached a career cul-de-sac.
It was during this conversation that I became aware that he had actually heeded to my advice, not become negative and made a choice before it was too late. Even as the tete-a-tete came to a close he mentioned why he had buzzed me in the first place.
“Thank You Sir,” he said, “You were the only one who stood by me at that time and no one else supported me the way you did. I am finally working at a place where I can learn and grow. So, thank you.”
There was a sense of gratification in that gratitude. It gave a good feeling. It felt like I have done something right after all, in my 15 years of professional life, had made a somewhat positive impression among my subordinates and set the right example as a leader. It also bolstered my belief that professional relationships get stronger when you work together, and not by hierarchy and powers accrued to a position.
At the same time there was dual a sense of satisfaction. Firstly because I had managed to imbibe the positive from my immediate seniors, at a time when getting influenced by their many frustrations was a much easier option. Secondly, this junior colleague had managed to retain a positive outlook, at a workplace where negative attitudes were abundant. That I had a small role to play in his overall professional development was all the more satisfying.
In these times of lock-downs and quarantines, thanks to that country-related virus, it is tough to stay confined at home, concentrate on work and stay connected at the same time. It is moments like these that reinvigorate a working professional.
It feels good to hear words of encouragement from your superiors. Recognition by contemporaries more often than not borders on flattery. But nothing can match the genuine appreciation from an understudy. There is a purity of purpose in this expression. Beyond this gratitude lies the gratification.
