Friday, July 30, 2010

A few extra bucks!!

I met a friend of mine last week. Let’s call him Anubhav here. He had a terrible day at work. It happens once in a while that whatever we do, however we do, the day is just unlucky. Lady luck doesn’t smile on us and that was his day. He had been very unlucky on the day, hence came to me, so that I can make him feel wanted.

To make him feel good and happy, we went to a Bar for a couple of beers. As we were driving through the rain-struck-pot-hole-ridden roads of Pune, a call center cab sped past through my car and just about banged my side-view mirror. I gave a nasty look, not to the cab driver, but to my friend, Anubhav. Why did he have to carry his bad luck with him.

Anyways, I ignored the thought and drove smoothly to reach the bar.

Anubhav was the regional Sales Manager of a gearing company. He started his day long story. He had few of the sales men working with him; they were very junior and he had mentored them to groom from the nothing they were fresh college graduates to a decent Sales force who could deliver on their own. He had taught them basic intricacies of work, importance of sincerity to their job, delivery excellence and all a good lead should have taught.

They were just raw talent a couple of years ago and now were groomed to be independent sales force. Anubhav was proud of them, that he had made them a force to reckon with.

I interrupted Anubhav; come on buddy, come to the point!!

“Yesterday they submit fake bills to company, a sales-call which they never attended is being charged to the company”, he almost shouted. I looked around and gave plastic smiles to the people around bar, who were kind of surprised with this sudden outburst. Anubhav ordered one more beer!!!
He told me, his team members stayed at home and claimed expenses for client-call. I asked him, “How do you know?” He said, he knows them and is cent per cent sure that they lied for their personal gain. I said, what the heck, why is he feeling so bad about a few bucks, which anyways company has to pay. He said, he asked them and they lied to him. He had trust in them.

He was not too bothered about the company loss, he was upset as they, whom were groomed by him and nurtured to be a force lied to him.

It happens with everybody all the time; we take people around us for granted and then feel hurt when implicit expectations are not met. He had that confidence in his people, that they will tell him the truth; that they will not hide facts from him, but he was wrong. He had this implicit expectation from his team that he was the one who could always vouch for them in thick or thin, he nurtured them from to-be to somebody. That confidence in his people was sulking him.

He should let it go and move on and leave the burden of expectations behind… Can he? Or should he?

With this thought and question in my mind and after payment for this boys evening, I saw a reflection of me in the mirror behind the barman…

5 comments:

  1. I really liked your way of writing!!

    "He should let it go and move on and leave the burden of expectations behind… Can he? Or should he?"
    May be he can speak to his team mates about this, asking them the need - of lying.. It is at times difficult to tell the truth to a person who you know has faith in you...but you still end up lying and I dunno why...

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  2. I lyk it too...nd nice name...anubhav (experience) :)

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  3. Thanks!! About name, the meaning says it all... Read last line again... :)

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  4. Necessity is the mother of invention as well as annihilation..Anubhav here has a legitimate reason to feel betrayed..

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  5. Seems like a true story, felt bad for Anubhav, but sometimes these kind of mistakes (whether knowingly or unknowingly) give a chance to the new bees that what to do in future and what not...

    with brilliant writing skills and decent pace, it is a remarkable dilivery from the author.....

    Kudos....

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