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…

I, Onsite experience, First

I am starting my blog with this first post. I wrote this after going onsite for first time and completing one month there.

Dated: 29th December 2004

i, Onsite experience First,
See the flakes of snow on the window

They tell me, who you are…
What work do you have here…
What are you doing here…

They tell me, this is not your country
They tell me, these are not your people
Then why am i here...
Why do i automate like a Robot, a mechanical machine…

i, Onsite experience First,
See the flakes of snow on the window

i see my friends in other countries,
How do they stay without their folks,
How do they stay without their home,

They tell me, it is important to stay abroad,
Important to earn the dollar, euro and pound,
Then why do i feel this is a deceive,
What will i do with this money without my people…

i, Onsite experience First,
See the flakes of snow on the window
i see a German sitting in front of me,
He is in his country,
With his folks,
Nothing is unfamiliar to him

They tell me, i’ll take his work to India,
i'll offshore him... i’ll make him unemployed...
Then why am i sitting here like this,
why do i committ a sin like this...

i, Onsite experience First,
See the flakes of snow on the window
i see the clock cruising on time,
i hear the loud tick sound,
i see the animated movement of clock,

They tell me, your folks are sleeping right now,
They tell me you are slogging at this moment,
Why am i inhibiting at this moment…

Then I say, I should wait for another couple of years,
I still have some guts left to face the brunt,
Still want to test some more patience…
Still want to earn some foreign currency…

I, Onsite experience First,
See the flakes of snow on the window

(c) Bhupesh Gahrotra