LAST YEAR’S FILE

We are hired for our ability to use our intellectual resources - to find solutions, suggest the road ahead, develop plans, chart courses of action etc etc. The boss is looking for relevant, practical & acceptable plans which are both effective & efficient. To a human being, ‘thinking’ is hard work. Given a choice the ‘head’ is a procrastinator. It will look for the simplest way out. Employees come in various shades – from those who don’t want to, or cannot think, or lack the ability to innovate and think fresh, to those who seem to do wonders every time. So what happens – confronted with an issue, the former is most likely to look for precedence, dig old files & presentations, google for templates, activate his / her networks etc till he has a start point. Thereafter it is the familiar story of Controls C & V. The first time this gets the approval of the boss, we are comfortably on the road downhill.     

Some of our subordinates fresh out of college have the ability to start with, but then in a few years ‘graduate’ to join the ranks of those who ‘will not think’. This transformation of very capable juniors may also happen because they realize that nothing fresh is expected of them – they just need to do “as told”. Who is responsible for this ‘graduation’? It is true that not all can be gr8 original thinkers. But are the superiors not responsible to develop their respective teams – to whatever degree individual employees can rise. Is it also possible that some who rose by modifying the ‘last year’s file’ themselves fail to appreciate those with better intellectual capabilities - & unknowingly harm their careers. Barring exceptions, most of the original thinkers do rise with time.

As one grows in the hierarchy, the levels of ambiguity grow. From routine tasks, supervised actions with defined processes, documents and guidelines to problem solving, thinking &, decision making in ambiguity is a long road indeed. It takes no effort to find people who will do as told.  It is difficult to find people who will think and generate ideas. It will always be a challenge to find people who will think, generate ideas and execute. Losing out on even one single employee of the last category may be criminal indeed.

I have attempted to briefly highlight an area I have been sensitive about. I offer to give no direction or solutions. All I ask of the esteemed TS members is that, as superiors within our respective scope, are we guilty of denying someone the appreciation he / she deserves. Asking ourselves honestly the question may be half the answer itself. My regards for all.