Month: June 2021

Legacy…

~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

It is something we leave behind and hand over to the next generation.

Something that inspires a lot of people and helps them identify a meaning in all they have done through the years.

Or something that in hindsight helps us judge what we did in that particular phase of our life or work.

Well, I have always viewed the term with some suspicion. Not because I think it is over-rated but because I think it carries a negative stress in the present.

There are a few people who leave impressive legacies behind. But not because they started with that intention. They just wanted to do their best in the moment. And whatever they leave behind happens as a natural result of that effort.

On the other side, there are those who don’t bother at all about these matters and live their life without worrying about what they are leaving behind. They do their work or live their life and pass into oblivion, which isn’t a bad option in the larger scheme of things.

And then there are those who always get bothered by whether what they are doing will be enough to leave behind that impression. Now, that’s precisely the kind of negative stress I am referring to. Trying to prove a point and do something with the future in mind, without focusing on ensuring the best possible in the present.

A lot of us these days, either due to the hype around the term ‘legacy’ or because of the added pressure we put on ourselves to excel in whatever we do, land up in the third category. For some of us in fact, sometimes it gets complicated because once we start looking out into the future with one eye, the view isn’t complete in the present. And due to that stress we sometimes end up trying too hard and not being our natural self, or worse, doing things the wrong way to reach where we want to be through a shortcut.

Not something that we would recommend to any of our friends, leave along to ourselves!

As I served my last day in a company I have been with for almost 5 years and had a lengthy conversation with a senior about some of these aspects, these thoughts came into my mind…

When I dug deeper, I realised that if we look at this issue from another perspective, it is actually not what we have done and the accolades that we have bought to the table that matter. What matters is the foundation we built or built upon, and the strength of the pillars we erected during that phase of our life or work. In the present.

Are they going to sustain after we are gone? Will those, who are left behind after us, be able to live with it? Is the structure going to soar higher from where we left it?

I think that is a more pertinent way of looking at any phase of our life or work and determining the impression that we leave behind. It also gives us the luxury of focusing on the present completely without worrying about or stressing about what happens to it after we leave.

While all of us are wishful about the impact we have or may have with our actions or work or life in the future, I guess living in the present and staying focused on what we are doing in the here and now are way more important.

At least, that gives us a chance of leaving behind a legacy, if at all!

Forwards & Backwards

~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

Communication is a bedrock of our lives. If not for communication, we wouldn’t be half the race we are.

It helps us learn and unlearn, show our feelings whether they are positive or negative, and brings cohesion to our lives. Makes it easier for us to live with other fellow humans. Creates families and groups and fosters them.

In the present hyper-connected world, it’s become much more easier to do so. With umpteen ways to reach out to people, from messaging apps to platforms that enable all kinds of social connections, we have multiple options. And yet, often we find that communication is neglected. Or under/over-done.

This week, as I looked at my social media footprint, I figured that WhatsApp is the single most used app on my phone. I use it for all kinds of communication. Additionally, I am a part of multiple groups comprising of family, school friends, college friends, work colleagues, and so on. It’s wonderful to be one tap away from talking to anyone.

One thing troubled me though!

I realised that a lot of the groups that I am a part of, I don’t communicate within them often. Most of the messages that keep chiming in are forwards of different nature. Political discussions, information that is questionable, opinions, news items, etc. which have little direct relevance to our daily lives. In between those forwards, the group gets drowned in that noise.

Not just that. Most of these loaded forwards only create chances for loaded conversations between specific members. Some for and some against the original argument. Without the veracity being checked. Without understanding the point of view of others. And a lot of times being answered by counter arguments that are also forwards with similarly dubious origins.

Now, I am all for freedom of speech and having different and opposing viewpoints and for discussing them. But when the direction of the group becomes loaded, it doesn’t give much pleasure to the majority others who are silent spectators.

When those groups were formed, the thought behind them was to bring together people so that everyone could keep in touch. But now-a-days, there are very few groups which one is a part of, where real conversation between friends or family members happens.

For example, while some of the groups I am a part of have my family members or friends, I have consciously started ignoring the messages coming through on them. Because I don’t subscribe to the conversations happening there.

And I am sure it is true for most of us.

That’s the irony of the situation!

While we are always connected, we are being pulled backwards. Because we chose to believe in forwards and communicating based on those, rather than having real conversations with people we know and believe in…

We the People.

~ Rishi ~ 1 Comment

Are the backbone of everything that happens…

It is people who build up a structure that moves forward to achieve the common goals.

Whether it is nations or organisations or families or groups, everything happens either for people or with people but always with them being front and center.

Yet, very often they are neglected or not paid enough attention to. In nations, in organisations and even in groups and families.

On the personal end of the spectrum, when people don’t get the feeling of being a part of the group or the family, they move out. They seek others who would make them feel special and wanted.

That’s perhaps why we always take care of those we want to keep close to us and don’t worry much about the others in the world. And that works for us because at the end, one can only manage being close to a few people.

At the collective end of the spectrum, nations do most of the things keeping in mind their people. Wanting to keep them united at all costs. And all of us, irrespective of our political inclinations or beliefs, want our community and our nation to succeed and feel strongly for it.

But when a nation fails to keep its people’s interests in mind, it starts lagging behind others. People overthrow the regime or vote it out of power. And reassert their right to be taken care of.

However, when it comes to somewhere in between the spectrum, where organisations exist, the same principles do not always apply. For an organisation is neither personal nor a community. It is a collective which is abstract in nature and bound by loose ideas which may not be agreeable to everyone.

People come in to work in an organisation or with it for their benefit. Knowing that whatever they do will at the same time benefit the organisation. And organisations also understand that nature of association.

So even if people leave, organisations survive. They are replaced by new or existing people. All for the good, of all the parties involved.

However, organisations that flourish are those that take care of their people, despite the transactional relationship. Because that is what gives its people the feeling of being wanted.

The ones that neglect their people or take them for granted or treat them as tools to achieve objectives, almost always fold up. If not in the short term then in the long run. Because people are intelligent.

And that is why it is so important to build teams, groups, and organisations in a way we build families and nations. Through trust, transparency, and respect. To make it endure. And succeed!

Switching Off…

~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

It’s a million dollar quest now-a-days!

Realms of paper have been written upon to help people claim there lives back. Where to stop and how to give themselves time.

And yet, as lockdown situations have continued and most of us continue to work from home, there seems to be an urgent need to get some respite from the blurred boundaries of work and life post work.

As Missus and I sat down for our Sunday morning, environment friendly detox hour, this topic came up today. I was wanting to get into this discussion with her as off-late, our schedules were going crazy and this wasn’t leaving us with much time for other things.

While we discussed and chatted about it for 15-20 minutes, there wasn’t a clear answer that emerged on how to handle the situation. But one good thing happened. It gave us time to reflect on what we have been trying in our own little ways and how it is helping or not helping us. This reflection threw up some interesting observations!

For one, until the laptop and mobile phone became ubiquitous, we pretty much had the evenings to ourselves. After work hours, there was a natural switch off that happened. Or how following a routine in the morning and evening, sans any device, has helped us stay sane and less stressed on the days we are able to manage that. Or better still, how suppressing the urge to attend to work emails / texts etc. can yield benefits, specially on weekends.

What’s more important though is to remember that we need to switch off. To rejuvenate. To feed ourselves. Something that a lot of us seem to forget in between all the humdrum of life.

I have seen colleagues and friends who constantly feel the urge to do everything in their power to respond to things immediately. They stretch themselves, even when it is not absolutely required, to deliver outcomes by borrowing time from their weekends and family.

While that may be the order once or twice, soon it develops into a habit and establishes a vicious loop, where the need to ‘Keep up with the Joneses’ takes over and prods us to outdo ourselves. And our colleagues.

And that leads to a culture that constantly demands more of us at all times and a race to the bottom. A demand that can never lead to much good!

So, which culture are we setting up in our team or organisation or for ourselves? Should be the biggest question we ask before we embark on anything.

Will perhaps help us maintain sanity in our lives and lead to longer careers with lesser stress all around!