Really, I am puzzled by the statements coming out of the members of the Organising Committee for the Commonwealth Games. First Lalit Bhanot says hygiene standards of Indians differ from that of the Western Nations and then Suresh Kalmadi says that cleaning up is not his job .
While I’ve not had the privilege of serving in any of the armed forces which ask for strictest discipline and ‘aye-aye-sir’ to every order given, every man who has had a profession in the maritime industry, especially if they sail, knows that when an order is given, you implement it.
Quickly, good people understand that, when the given order has a potential to compound the problem, mess, or crisis, directly questioning the order or arguing about it is of no use. One learns to subtly divert it – by gently suggesting the alternates. And seniors, who have given the orders in the first place (being no fools themselves), are only enthused to modify at the suggestions. It is the way the disciplined, experienced organisations work.
When one gets to managerial positions, one quickly learns that the seniors do not appreciate of giving excuses, passing blame or generally express inability to sort out the problem, mess or crisis. Often, the seniors appreciate when you ‘explain’ how the problem has occurred and either offer the solution or (the most appreciated) to ‘step up’ to be counted.
One learns that everyone, including you, appreciate a subordinate saying something like ‘I will look into it’ or ‘I will get on the job’; If one is confident of solving the problem, the most heart warming response to the seniors is either ‘Leave it to me’ or ‘I will take care of it’.
One also learns that the most hated response is to ‘point fingers’ or claim that ‘it is not my job’. The worst criticism to hear is that one ‘knows-what-his-job-is-not’, the unspoken addendum being one ‘doesn’t-know-what-his-job-is’.
This, is being drilled into in the B-Schools, and politicians are supposed to inherently understand it. That is the reason that in a democracy, politicians (in the executive) are given the (ultimate) supervisory role over the executive (bureaucrats). That is also the reason that in a democracy, the politicians (in the legislature) get to from the laws.
With all of that in mind, shouldn’t the mature response by both the worthies – Bhanot and Kalmadi, have been ‘We’ve heard concerns, we will immediately implement corrective measures where necessary’ or words to that effect?
Instead, talking about ‘job-specification’, ‘hygiene-standards’ or use of ‘Floo-powder’, is not what we expect of our elected leaders.
Pointing fingers or playing Ostrich is not what the leaders are for!
And in a democracy, the politicians are the leaders!
For all his faults, the PM stepped up, muscled up, cut the people down to size and seems to have got the things done. Well done, Prime Minister!
To muse - If all that can be achieved in a week, why didn’t the Organising Committee do it?
My wicked half whispers - Apart from what the better halves of Bhanot and Kalmadi feel, what would be their mom’s feeling about their sons’ attitude to hygiene?
Wherever they are, they must feel that their ‘toilet-training’ of their offspring has left something to be desired!
:-(
While I’ve not had the privilege of serving in any of the armed forces which ask for strictest discipline and ‘aye-aye-sir’ to every order given, every man who has had a profession in the maritime industry, especially if they sail, knows that when an order is given, you implement it.
Quickly, good people understand that, when the given order has a potential to compound the problem, mess, or crisis, directly questioning the order or arguing about it is of no use. One learns to subtly divert it – by gently suggesting the alternates. And seniors, who have given the orders in the first place (being no fools themselves), are only enthused to modify at the suggestions. It is the way the disciplined, experienced organisations work.
When one gets to managerial positions, one quickly learns that the seniors do not appreciate of giving excuses, passing blame or generally express inability to sort out the problem, mess or crisis. Often, the seniors appreciate when you ‘explain’ how the problem has occurred and either offer the solution or (the most appreciated) to ‘step up’ to be counted.
One learns that everyone, including you, appreciate a subordinate saying something like ‘I will look into it’ or ‘I will get on the job’; If one is confident of solving the problem, the most heart warming response to the seniors is either ‘Leave it to me’ or ‘I will take care of it’.
One also learns that the most hated response is to ‘point fingers’ or claim that ‘it is not my job’. The worst criticism to hear is that one ‘knows-what-his-job-is-not’, the unspoken addendum being one ‘doesn’t-know-what-his-job-is’.
This, is being drilled into in the B-Schools, and politicians are supposed to inherently understand it. That is the reason that in a democracy, politicians (in the executive) are given the (ultimate) supervisory role over the executive (bureaucrats). That is also the reason that in a democracy, the politicians (in the legislature) get to from the laws.
With all of that in mind, shouldn’t the mature response by both the worthies – Bhanot and Kalmadi, have been ‘We’ve heard concerns, we will immediately implement corrective measures where necessary’ or words to that effect?
Instead, talking about ‘job-specification’, ‘hygiene-standards’ or use of ‘Floo-powder’, is not what we expect of our elected leaders.
Pointing fingers or playing Ostrich is not what the leaders are for!
And in a democracy, the politicians are the leaders!
For all his faults, the PM stepped up, muscled up, cut the people down to size and seems to have got the things done. Well done, Prime Minister!
To muse - If all that can be achieved in a week, why didn’t the Organising Committee do it?
My wicked half whispers - Apart from what the better halves of Bhanot and Kalmadi feel, what would be their mom’s feeling about their sons’ attitude to hygiene?
Wherever they are, they must feel that their ‘toilet-training’ of their offspring has left something to be desired!
:-(
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