Lubricant or Leverage?
Excellence
in Execution (e@e) has traditionally been considered to be associated with
productivity. Productivity, on the other hand, has traditionally remained linked
to improving machines, methods and means. As industrialisation evolved,
interventions aimed at e-in-e started considering ‘human beings’ as a possible
avenue where results could be reaped. But such considerations remained limited
to rewards and remunerations, much as lubricants to a production or production-assisting
entity called man. Higher remunerations and better rewards, it was believed,
would somehow elicit higher productivity. This approach to e@e confined it to
the lower rungs of Maslow’s pyramid[i].
E@e,
often associated and pursued only with professional life, should not be limited
to the confines of work areas. It must originate from within and end up
defining the person himself /herself. It is then e@e becomes a leveraging tool.
If viewed and approached from the higher strata of Maslow’s pyramid, it offers unending
intervention possibilities and limitless scope of improvement. At that level e@e
becomes the hallmark of whatever one sets eyes on and put hands on.
What
impedes e@e?
What
promotes e@e?
Where
does it originate from?
Does
it pay back?
Instilling
Inadequacy to Pursue Excellence
Right
from my childhood, all through my adolescence and well into adulthood, I felt
everybody around was better than me in everything. It had serious fallouts. One
reason for this personality dent could have been due to the persistent comparisons
I heard, growing up. Pervasive, it covered anything and everything. Age or
gender differences didn’t matter.
“See
his hand writing and see yours” “look at him, he speaks so well; and you?”. “He
has already got a job and You; walking around with books and studying’.
“Look
at her. see how she conducts herself; and you?”. “
“Do
you know, Einstein and Faraday studied under street light and Ramanujan walked
ten kilometres to the school; and You? “You a room to yourself, a table and a
table lamp. The school is next door and you still can’t top the class!
The
list was endless and almost for certain in areas where I was helpless.
Back
then ‘fake news’ was not yet the norm. ‘Fact check’ was unnecessary and impossible
since google was yet not conceived. With nothing to verify and unwilling to
risk the consequences of questioning those who declared such amazing feats, I had
no choice but to believe all that. Einstein Faraday and Ramanjuan were my nemeses,
worthy of my despised respects. There were few others too, like me. Those days,
major tool of parenting, it seems, was all about comparisons. Such comparisons inevitably
sow seeds of inadequacy in individuals.
On
the other hand, there are / were many who grow up with an unending flow of
praises and approvals, irrespective what they do or don’t do. When faced with ruthless
realties of the competitive world, they are forced to come to terms with the brutal
truth that success and failures coexist. Unvaccinated and unprotected, these
people are grievously stricken and find it harder to recover.
Continuous
comparisons compromise chances of success by undermining self-worth and eroding
e@e.
The
fact remains that, No one knows one’s true self.
The
journey to excellence must originate with stocktaking of one’s known strengths
and discovery of the latent ones. This fortunately is in our own control but
unfortunately, extremely difficult. Yet, unless and until one becomes aware of
one’s own strengths, the range and reach of excellence we are capable of, would
remain unexplored.
It’s
best to remember, e@e can be built only on strong foundations of ‘Self-Awareness’
and ‘Belief in Self’. Only when a lamp is lit can it spread its light[ii].
The Canvas
We
tend to compartmentalise excellence. We want to do well in one field and choose
to abandon others. This is strengthened by our ‘everyday understanding’ that the
more prioritised and compartmentalised our efforts are, better our chances of
excellence. Common sense and contemporary dominant short-term winning formulae
dictate investments in one or two chosen areas. However, such investments risk reaching
point of ‘retarding returns’[iii] sooner than
expected. That is where ‘burn outs’ begin. The concept of e@e cannot /shouldn’t be confined to any one canvas.
If e@e is truly internalized,
its overwhelming presence can be witnessed in all that one thinks, speaks and
does. It is easy to visualize and experience if we assume ourselves as a bottle
of most exotic, expensive perfume.
Can a bottle withhold fragrance, of the perfume within, from spreading everywhere once it is uncapped? Can the perfume select where to spread or not spread? It just spreads. Those closer to it, experience it the most and those farthest, the least. Likewise, is the concept of e@e once integral to us.
Self & Beyond
An
interesting area, I take the participants of my facilitation programmes, is the
‘give and take ‘garden. I have proved to the participants that in the long run
smart givers are fare better than pure takers and slave givers. One has to
learn and practice the art of large-hearted, non-suicidal ‘giving’ and
enriching ‘taking’.
Most
of us are conditioned to garner things, avenues, and accolades for one self. After
all, winners take it all! However, victory in individual events and instances
essentially neither adds up to holistic success nor make us winners. ‘Victory
in battles essentially doesn’t win you the war’. Neither the opposite is true! Losses
in battles don’t help you win the war! That defines the conundrum.
When the euphoria of an instant victory ebbs away, one realises how much social capital has eroded. It doesn’t mean that instant defeats accumulate social capital. Certainly, it doesn’t; losers are losers. But ‘spoils’ (credits) of victory if not properly appropriated, diminishes chances of subsequent victories. It is proven beyond doubt that success in anything, even in individual competitions, come from collaborative efforts of many. Most successful surgeons have convincingly attributed their success to the team that works with them. Millionaire caddies of millionaire golfers are known.
Infinitesimal
Approach to Victory
In
an era where quick fix and ‘few steps’ to anything become chart busters,
everyone is trying to be successful, rich and famous instantaneously. In such
an environment my prescription to success, though sure footed and assured, may
seem hopelessly outdated and impotent. Nevertheless, everyone has to fallback to
it in due course. The method I prescribe is less invasive, less burdensome and
least demanding one, which I call ‘The infinitesimal approach’.
Infinitesimal improvements in everyday activities, both personal and professional with higher purposes in mind, if consistently and diligently applied, over time brings about huge changes in one's outlook, as well as personal and professional life. The trick is to apply small course corrections, or improvements continuously to one’s trajectory. This has to be steeped in incorruptible value systems.
Victory
Stand
Unlike
many quick fixes, one cannot expect to have a dramatic appearance on the victory-stand.
Adoption the infinitesimal approach to e@e will certainly guarantee us a longer
presence at the victory stand.
As
we leave the year that troubled us with Corona and look forward to unchartered challenges
ahead, it may be worthwhile to pause, and consider the infinitesimal approach to
e@e.
Wish
you a great year ahead, packed with unending excellence in execution. Wish you
loads of e@e.
