I had the great fortune last month to be able to meet some of our faculty and FS and technology clients in India, travelling between Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. In the midst of the glorious honking chaos which is the Indian traffic, I was unexpectedly struck by the parallels between that and HR/line management.
Just go with me on this for a moment and think of it this way – you know as both manager and Delhi driver that you are trying to go from point A to point B. It should be easy enough if everyone else shares that objective. But in management as on the road, they may have different ideas of how to get there, or may secretly be heading somewhere else without telling you. Inevitably some of the people around you will suddenly lurch off in different directions without signalling while others trundle ponderously along as unlit hazards unmoved by either instructions or road-markings. Periodically you will find someone headed right at you, as confident in his own course as you are in yours, and never quite know how collision was avoided. New challenges come out of nowhere, and all the while you are surrounded by people leaning on their horns to tell you – it’s hard to know in many cases what they’re trying to tell you – while veering directly across your path. Plus both literal and metaphorical pedestrians and people trying to sell you stuff you don’t want. Also bullocks, a load of bullocks.
All in all, it is a miracle that the people all around you don’t hit each other anywhere near as often as you might fear. It is less of a wonder that faced with this bedlam on a daily basis, managers can lose their sense of humour, their patience and their resilience. Unaddressed, this may leave them one unexpected pothole away from an attack of office road rage and make them a professional hazard to both themselves and others on their journey.
So if you are still missing a New Year’s Resolution that doesn’t involve giving up something you would rather not, how about this: promise yourself that a couple of times a day you will pull out of that mad traffic for a few minutes somewhere quiet enough to hear the beating of your heart as it slows. Make a personal call or two, or go out briefly and buy something you do want. Then you can buckle up and hurl yourself back into the fray again, just that little bit better equipped to deal with whatever lies on the road between you and your destination for the day.
If you might appreciate some help in quietening the mind in this way (it does not come equally easily to everyone), then you might think about whether some external coaching might assist. At risk of stretching my analogy too far, look upon it as servicing for your mental health, a vital precaution to limit the risk of a breakdown at a later stage.
To conclude, I had a wonderful trip and met some amazing people, faculty and clients alike. Some photos below.
