MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 259
Relationship with the subordinates
29th April 2024
#FriendlyOrBusinessLike
There are different kinds of Leadership Styles for dealing with your subordinates. Some leaders prefer to be friendly with their subordinates, but some might argue that subordinates must be kept at an arm’s length. Which one is the preferred option?
Lord Ram suggests a solution for this conundrum, which is middle path, neither too friendly that they adopt a disrespectful attitude nor too rigid.
कच्चिन्न सर्वे कर्मान्ताः प्रत्यक्षास्तेऽविशङ्कया | सर्वे वा पुनरुत्सृष्टा मध्यमे वात्र कारणम् Valmiki Ramayan 2-100-52
"All the servants, I trust, do not present themselves to you directly. At the same time, they do not remain out of sight for fear. The middle course is the best way for the welfare of everyone” – Lord Ram’s advice to Barath.
You cannot be too friendly that your subordinates consider it as a weakness and take you for granted. You cannot be too brusque that subordinates are not able to collaborate with you freely and actively. You can be friendly but at the same you need to be aware where and how to keep them at arm’s length.
People want leaders to be one of the guys, who hang out, and be a friend. I understand that philosophy and I personally tried to follow that approach for most of the situations. But I learnt from experience that most of the successful leaders I have dealt with follow the middle course.
Can a subordinate feel that they are at equal with the boss?
King Says Not Equal
An interesting scene in the movie #TheKing'sSpeech illustrates this very nicely and subtly. When the Duke of York became King of England, King George VI, after his elder brother abdicated, he was horrified of the responsibility because of his serious stammer. An eccentric therapist Lionel Logue helped him to improve his speech. The equation between the king and the therapist Is a very interesting case study. The king respected the therapist for the ability and the unusual techniques but was not able to accept the therapist as a friend. Look at this interesting conversation in the movie.
Lionel Logue : Please, call me Lionel.
King George VI : No, I... prefer Doctor.
Lionel Logue : I prefer Lionel. What'll I call you?
King George VI : Your Royal Highness. And... Sir... after that.
Lionel Logue : That's a little bit formal for here, I prefer names.
King George VI : Prince Albert Frederick Arthur... George
Lionel Logue : How about Bertie?
King George VI : Only my family uses that.
Lionel Logue : Perfect. Here, it's better if we're equals.
King George VI : If, uh... if we were equals, I wouldn't... be here. I'd be at... at... home with my wife, and no one would... give a damn.
#WhySomeDistanceIsDesirable
The essence of intelligent leadership is to build meaningful relationships with employees and other stakeholders. Why can’t leaders be friendly with their employees? Leaders can have meaningful relationships with their subordinates without being too friendly with them.
Friendship is on the same intimacy level as human relationships, thus exceeding what effective leadership requires. Due to its overly intimate and personal nature, friendship can erode the authority leaders must display. It can also lead to far-reaching friction in the workforce.
Employees Don’t Need a Friend
At work, employees need effective managers and leaders. A friendly atmosphere and a culture that values respect are growth oriented, but leaders should be leaders and not friends to employees.
When a crisis strikes, people need someone who can:
· Allay their fears
· Motivate them
· Provide relevant insights
· Make tough choices
· Tackle difficult challenges
· Rise above the panic
Friendship is priceless. At work, people also need someone who can take them from where they are to where they need to be, both professionally and personally.
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POSITIVE NEWS PAGE
Labourer’s son to Labour Commissioner
Can you imagine a labourer’s son becoming a labour commissioner? One need to possess lot of determination to achieve that distinction.
This week’s #PositiveNewsPage is the narrative of a Labourer's son M.Ramanathan (29), hailing from Krishnapuram, a village in Tenkasi District, Tamil Nadu, securing the prestigious All India Rank 18 in Assistant Labour Commissioner examination conducted by UPSC. It is another privilege to share that he is the only one who cleared this exam from Tamilnadu.
Ramanathan started his civil service preparation in 2016 and could clear his civil services after 8 long years. His perseverance finally got the results. The success is attributed not only to his tireless efforts over the years, but also to the support of his family.
His eight years journey as an aspirant was arduous and filled with lots of hurdles and difficulties. Having a clear vision of being into civil services, he started his preparations in college time and also worked part time in catering services to make ends meet. His parents, teachers and brother stayed hopeful even after many of his setbacks. They remained their strong support system for clinching the UPSC examination finally as per Ramanathan.
He was posted as Staff and welfare inspector in Integral Coach Factory in 2022, Chennai. He continued his preparations for civil services in spite of his demanding work at ICF.
"I've seen my mother work hard in the brick kiln to educate us and my father working hard to make ends meet". Ramanathan recollects.
Ms.P.Kumareswari, the founder of PL RAJ IAS & IPS Academy in Chennai, has been his mentor, guide and the backbone throughout his preparations. She motivated and uplifted him after each failure and even insisted him to take classes so that he stayed in course with his preparations after the failures set him back.
As told by Thiruvalluvar in Thirukkural,
“கேடும் பெருக்கமும் இல்லல்ல நெஞ்சத்துக்
கோடாமை சான்றோர்க் கணி”,
Any work done whole heartedly with integrity yields the desired results. "The competitive examination journey teaches us patience and tests the willpower" Ramanathan comments.
எண்ணிய முடிதல் வேண்டு்ம்!!
நல்லவே எண்ணல் வேண்டும்!!
திண்ணிய நெஞ்சம் வேண்டும்!!
தெளிந்த நல்லறிவு வேண்டும்!!
-பாரதியார்
Ramanathan’ motivation tips to young aspirants
One must dream to achieve the goals. Three primary pre-requisites to achieve a goal are:
· Planning
· Commitment
· Execution.
“I always had a dream to crack either UPSC Group ‘A’ services. So, I drew out a plan, committed myself fully to the plan and executed the plan. Though I did not achieve my goal in the first attempt, I did not lose heart and I tried again and finally cracked UPSC Assistant Labour Examinations”.
Biggest lesson I learnt is “Be humble in victory and courageous in defeat’. This goes in tandem with the adage “विद्या ददाति विनयं, विद्या विनयेन शोभते”. In other words “Knowledge makes one humble, knowledge shines by humility”.
“I would like to dedicate my achievement to my Parents, my Teachers, my Friends who are all stood as the pillars of support in this journey to achieve this feat” Ramanathan finishes his advice.
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Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly newsletter #MondayMusings by Jaganathan (www.authorjaganathan.com) every Monday so that the readers can start their work week in a positive note.