Redefining Horizons

Uncertain Spaces Leaders of all types and stature say, “we are going through unprecedented times”. A truism in words, written and spoken, actively propagated. But are we really? Or is it Déjà vu or jamais vu? Our mind space has been so forcibly captured by covid that all our thoughts and actions are centred around it. This disruptive phenomenon, like one-never-before, has left nothing of our existence untouched. Socio-economic and politico-religious divides apart, wary of covid, everybody individually and collectively behaves differently. As debates about its geographical origins rage, attributing religious, political, military, strategic or economic intentions lead it to ‘us’ versus ‘you’. Oblivious to the likelihood of themselves becoming part of statistics, politicians and profiteers make a killing. That is where the whole world is. Closer home, as hospitals are overwhelmed, people scurry for beds. Even as a few ‘lucky-unlucky’ succeed in managing oxygen and ventilators, everyone se...

  Skills or Tantrum? Let us call this young executive ‘Jakes’. Waiting outside his boss’s cabin, Jakes took another look at the small slip of paper. Handwritten, the boss’s diktat said, " Meet me at 1141 hrs ". Jakes looked at his watch. It was 11:39.   Two more minutes! Yesterday, Jakes was right on time, but a minute late by the boss’s watch. Few days before, he was a minute early. On both occasions, though the tasks were complete, Jay was admonished for being unprofessional, incompetent and one who couldn’t even keep time. Today, he waited to step in to the boss’s cabin exactly at 1141 hrs. Jakes took no chances today. The file that the boss asked for was well marked and flagged. Jakes was ready. The boss often boasted of his ‘time and man’ management skills. Once a week everyone in chain got two slips, written in boss’s own calligraphic hand, one with a date and precise time and the other, a carbon copy of the list of tasks he wanted to be briefed on. In an organisation,...