3 People. 3 Levels. 3 Phases

Phase 1 – Initial 6 months

Employee – Last 2 weeks have been hectic.. and I don’t think I will get a breather till next week… Once the pilot is over, I can concentrate on the minor automations that are pending.. I am happy with my process.. Manager is very helpful. Colleagues are cool. A challenging atmosphere is always there. I have to ensure I work hard for the next 6 months to get promoted.. Promotion….next level of hierarchy..increase in salary… which will ensure I get a better salary in a new company.. My dreams will come true…

Manager – I am impressed with this guy. Full of commitment.. His pro-activeness has helped my team get yet another appreciation from the client. The only thing which I need to improve on him is his interaction with other process guys and departments… If that is done, then I am sure, nothing is stopping him from promotion.. But, he has to be free from the daily work…

CEO – So many processes are coming to us… how am I going to manage these… and I suppose another 450 HC project is on its way… This will have to be deployed in the new facility… Governance should have to be set in place to ensure regular audit checks… I will have to set up a workflow which tracks the errors committed by my guys… and will have to speak with the HR head to increase the budget for appraisal…

Phase II - Panel

Employee – This is it… the moment that I was waiting for.. I can’t leave any stone unturned..hmm.. I know the bench calculation.. SLA… different departments in the company… turnover…is anything left?? I heard that this time CEO himself will take interviews and select the guys…. I have not interacted with him yet… for that matter not with any senior manager who is not from my vertical.. There was so much to do in my department… What could I do? I guess, my manager will take care of it…

Manager – I have taken a mock interview of this guy… he handled well… was confident from the start and gave answers to all process related questions..I am just worried what would CEO asks… I have given him all the training and guidance that I could give.. Now it’s in his hands..

CEO – 18 nominations!! And I have got 4 seats…The guys whom I have interviewed are good.. and their managers want everyone to get promoted… which is not possible… I will have to pick the guys myself.. based on my previous interactions… There is no other way.

Phase III – Appraisal

Employee – I am not interactive… That’s the reason I am not selected… Can you believe it? For 6 months, I work round the clock, ensure that deliverables are sent on time, make no errors, and my manager is saying that I have to be interactive!!! He said that this was the feedback given by the CEO.. How could he just listen to such crap? Why didn’t he argue? What am I supposed to do now? Slog and wait for yet another 6 months?

Manager – Yet again, I had to get my hands dirty and do this shitty thing.. I couldn’t even justify the reason given by my boss to my employee.. He asked me so many things and I just shrugged in a helpless manner.. Why can’t the CEO take the appraisal when he has done the interviews? Why can’t he justify his actions? Why should I take this shit?

CEO – The deployment in the new facility is not going to be easy… I have to straighten the Bench ratio too.. I will have to solve the fiasco happened in the other department… I have to meet the profit margin by the end of the semester… wait a minute… It’s the employee who didn’t make it… he seems to be crying… hmm… I may see some papers down by the end of the month… anyways, there’s no guarantee that anyone would stay if I promote them…They will look for a better future and if they get one, they will surely leave… I will have to give my projected hires to HR….

Festival of Lights

This year's diwali also over..But I must admit that every year, the excitement of this festival is reducing..atleast for me.. I don't know if it happens with everyone... As every year has passed by, each festival has become less prominent to me.. Maybe it has got to do with growing up... But does it make sense? Does having less celebration means that you are being serious towards life? or being more serious towards life means having less celebration? Both doesn't make sense.I start pondering which festival did I really celebrate? When I was really happy?... Then it strikes me that I have always been in a festive mood when all my friends have been here.. My best friend has came back from cruise for a three month leave.. The weekends that we spend together, making schedules for the activities that we are going to do in the coming weekends.. this is celebration for me...Then I start thinking, what about my family? My mom and dad would also be wishing that their children spend the weekends with them talking just about anything... Yes.. They always do.. It's just that they don't express it... and I am glad that I made them happy this diwali... Maybe festival is all about our family and friends.. about the people who care about us..about them who love us.

Love..

Have you waited in the bus-stop for endless hours to meet her when, on the contrary, you used to consider standing idle on any place for even 15 minutes as an idiotic activity? Have you practiced Salsa vigorously just to dance with her, when actually, some months before, you would make fun of your friends who would attend those classes? Have you seen a romantic movie just because she told you that’s her favorite movie, when months before, you used to find it disgusting? Well… these are signs of love…. We do things which we never thought of doing.. The things which used to irate us now have become a part of our life… Mills & Boons is no more a trash novel… Romantic songs have suddenly become music to ears… :)..

The feeling is nice…. But the problem is how long it will sustain… The initial 6-12 months are moments of bliss…. Trying to know each other, understanding each other’s dislikes… Then we get habituated… then we don’t understand some things…then we discuss.. then we disagree.. then we get irritated… then we argue… then we quarrel… then we fight…. If the love is strong, we pass through the tide, else one more in addition to the list of failed relationships…. No, Please don’t think that I am here to lecture upon how to improve your love life.. not at all… I have always been a third party in these things… I have never been involved in any affair…But yes… I have been a witness to many complexities of a relationship which qualifies me to post this article on my blog…

I have always pondered as what would be it like to love someone without any reason….hmm.. yes.. there would be a reason… that would be to see her smile, wish for her happiness, pray for her well being…and if the feeling is mutual, then nothing is so wonderful…. Not being able to talk to each other for the whole day but still making it a point to wish each other good night (and not complaining as to why didn’t you get time to call)… Going on a long walk on a beach holding hands, but not a single word being spoken… yet feeling so content…. Coming to terms with each other’s weaknesses, accepting of what the other is… Isn’t that love..Don’t know…I am yet to explore…

It's all in the genes....

Oct, 06: After a long gap, my family had went for a devotional trip to Tirupati. I had joined eClerx 5 months back and I was unsure if I would get a leave. But my manager was kind enough to grant me leave, even though the team was short of resources and also the fact that it was appraisal time. We reached Tirupati on 9^th October (I remember this because one of my best friend happens to be born on this day). Once you reach Tirupati station, we have to take a local bus or hire a taxi, depending on our convenience, to Tirumala. Tirumala is situated in the hills.. and that is where the temple is... The temple authorities are very famous for their meticulous administration. They have affordable hotels, rates are subsidised and no hassles which a devotee might encounter on any other religious place... We reached Tirumala after 45 minutes (i don't exactly remember the duration) of travel.... Dad and bro went to stand in the queue for booking rooms. I sat with my mom on a garden-like bench. There were people who were sitting in nearby benches.. Some families were standing.. Some were sitting on the floor... It was then I saw her.. :)... She had big attractive eyes.... had a beautiful figure of a dancer... walked with grace.... Phew... i just went on staring at her... Alongwith her was her Mother, one child and her elder sister.. (now if you ask me how did i guess that, we can make atleast some obvious observations, right?)

She came to know that I was staring at her and gave me a killing sort of glare.. They sat with their back in front of us.. I gave up as soon as I saw that glare... My mom asked me about one old mallu song... We started to have a discussion on that...This is one habit that I have, when I sing, I sing at a good volume.. I don't know to sing in a low voice...So, it always ends up having some listeners or some irritated people around... This time, when I sang, I could notice the big-eyed girl shifting her eyes little behind so that she could see me.. I, acted unaware of her actions, and continued singing.... We continued to have discussion, I continued to sing.. and the family slowly shifted their positions....

Some things never turn out as we expect... As soon as I thought, something might happen, Dad and Bro came with the address of the hotel... Dad told us to get up... Dad went ahead, followed by bro, followed by my Mom.. and then me... I went as slowly as I could... I turned behind to see her... She was looking at me... She smiled... I smiled... And as I began to ask her something through actions, My mom smilingly said "Enough of looking at her... have some shame... atleast realize your mom is there with you..." I have never been so embarrassed in my life as I was that day... I started to argue with her that there is nothing like that and all... But she calmly said "My son, I have been raised alongwith 4 boys... your uncles... I know what all pranks they used to do... So, there's nothing that I am not aware of.. Its all in the genes.."

I smiled sheepingly... and then I realized that we walked far ahead.. When I turned back, I couldn't find her... The big-eyed girl in an off-white salwaar....

K and Kushions..

In the company where I work, the HR has come with a new concept called "Leadership Lounge". The first speaker for this forum was none other than our Vertical Head, Mr.K. Now, in our vertical, most of us consider this man as a genius and appreciate his management ability. So, if he is going to speak on something, then it is definitely going to be a value add experience. I can't explain in brief about his speech but I would certainly like to mention some of the things that he spoke. One thing that he did was he brought Ms. N to the meet. the reason for this was because he wanted someone to be present who has risen from the analyst level to the senior management and can reflect things from an analyst's perspective and can correct him, if required. The session was held in a small conference room. He showed a pic of a big lounge and said "When you guys said leadership lounge, this is what I thought.. something like Kofee with Karan... K and kushions..."

He started off by differentiating the type of people joining the finance vertical into two class of people. viz.,Spider-man and Shy-man. Spider-man has jumped from companies to companies, knows about finance products (even if he doesn't, can bluff about the same), exhibits loads of confidence. Shy-man is a Bcom graduate, has stayed in the previous company for 1-2 years, knows very little about finance products and is honest enough to admit. He said both the people survive in the company but both lack something or the other. The 1st one should actually start working and not just "show" his work and the other should start "showing" his work or else will just go unnoticed. When asked about what irritates him the most, he said "My boss sitting in London and asking me about a big errror which happened and i don't know anything about it. That is what irritates me the most. Guys, if you want to get in the good books os your manager, always keep him in the loop. They should be aware of the happenings in the process. And the mangers should create that confidence on their subordinates. If you can't create that, then an error occurs and you tell that I was unaware, I can't tolerate that. I will just kick him out, no matter if he has stayed in the company for more than 4 years, no matter if he cries, no matter if he says that he has always got promoted.... " With reference to Time Management, he said "See guys, If you want me to speak about finance, I could go on and on., but if it is about Time management, then I guess, it is just a gap of 6 years between us. The better option is you reading books on authors who are expert in this. I always used to make it a point to travel by rikshaw or bus. The main reason being, I could read during that time. Now when I bring my car, its not possible. The solution I got is to download audio books. Between this four walls, torrent download is absolutely free.. It just takes a simple effort and some common sense to manage our time...

In the end, there was this lucky chit which was taken wherein one lucky winner gets one prize. This man took 2 chits out.. He asked us which to pick, one in the right hand or one in the left. Eventually he picked one and declared the name of the winner. Now, the guy came, received the prize, clicked photos and resumed to his seat. What Mr. K did after that was unpredictable. He told us that it is always interesting to know who did not win rather than knowing who won. He picked the 2nd chit and announced the guy's name who just couldn't make it. He concluded his speech by saying the following words...

When you draw the tick mark sign, you have to draw the line downwards, then upwards.. That's life.... You always have to fall before you rise.... Then only you will realize the hardships and enjoy the achievements that come in your life.....

D_Unlimited

I am nervous... It's a big event and I am just lucky to be here... Shah Rukh is making fun on one of the bollywood stars and everyone is laughing.. and me? I am just spell bound...and deep in my own thought...how many years of struggle..endless periods of frustration..one song changed it all...and now I am here in the list of nominees for Best singer...now Shahrukh moves back stage and shyam (my college-mate in BMS) arrives.. What's he doing there?? hmm... he was a good anchor in college.. maybe some one might have noticed him and is giving him this chance... How nice.... By the way I am not able to hear anything!! these kids of my neighbours are so frustrating... I got the invitation, why the hell, the whole building has come with me!!! still it's ok.. Once in a lifetime, does one gets this opportunity, and I do want to cherish the moment..I see Rahman sir sitting 2-3 seats ahead of me.. hmm...maybe in the break I just talk to him... would he look at me? or would he even pretend that I exist??? God knows... I have heard that he is a man of few words...If he even smile at me, it's more than enough.. yeah, he would.. now I am one of the nominees... I have a good chance of impressing him.. Ohoh...My boss is here too... and i guess he is leaving...what's he telling me? no way.... Even I signalled yes to him and gave a thumbs up, I am not going to reach office early tomorrow.. Its my day ... I want to enjoy the fullest... Ok.. finaly the moment arrives... Shyam is going to announce the Best Singer award... and my mom comes... I know how proud she might be feeling at this time.. wait a second.. where is she taking me?? Mom!!! what are you doing?? It's perfectly fine if I don't take tablets for one day!!! Let me just go back!!

Mom gives me a whack and i get up... I Guess it's not difficult to guess the "D"...

Broken Rules

When I created this blog,I had imposed a self-rule that I am going to publish one post per month. As it happens with every rule,this too got broken. I could give the reason as there was lot of time constraint. Appraisals happened, I got more busy with work, I went to Kerala (my native place) too... But somehow I feel that I could have managed time. This always happens with us. We think of achieving something. We plan, make strategies, initiate things, and start executing it. The list could vary. It may be for joining a gym, learning an instrument, in hunt for a library etc.... we join it, pay the fees, religiously attend the classes for two weeks... and suddenly we don't have time...We don't have time to practice. We don't have time to attend sessions...Whenever I used to give this petty excuse of not getting time to practice, my violin sir always used to ask, do I find time to have breakfast, lunch and dinner? and then I started realizing that we would religiously initiate things when
a) it's our only means of survival
b) we genuinely enjoy doing it

and we start cribbing of not being able to do things.. we would crib of being in office for 12 hrs.. we would crib of not having too much work... we would crib of not being able to follow our dreams... we would crib of not having time...

The next step? convincing ourselves that it's not our fault..Its in our destiny... we would work harder...Phew.. complex human behaviour..

At this moment I am trying to convince myself that I would publish one post every month.. Let's see.....

Pune Trip

One month of complete bed rest and inactivity had done me in. So, when the Pune trip was planned, I kept aside all my other commitments (for which I felt guilty for few minutes) and got geared up. One good thing about this get-together was its maximum attendance barring a few like Ghatotkatch (harish), Bobdya (Jacob) and Mr. Excuse (Jayan :)). The excitement would have been double if they too could have come. Nonetheless, we had a blast. What I didn’t know was this was going to be one of the most adventurous trips of my life. It all started on the second day when we left Whistling Palms in the quest of a Resort….

28-02-09 -Our plan was to find a resort, have fun, stay overnight and return the next day for Mumbai. We left in a maroon Indica and a grey Swift, Mr. Booze (who else?) driving his Indica and fatso (obvious one) with the latter. Fatso decided to follow Boozy (Mr. sounds too respectful) as he had Don (you know who) for company. Don, being the native, was going to lead us the way. Now I don’t know much of the traffic rules or norms, but I certainly know the purpose of a rear-view mirror. We were driving towards a high way bridge and there was a left turn before it. We were supposed to take that turn. Don was confused. He told Boozy something. Boozy looked towards the road on the left and his hands slowly turned the steering towards left. What they failed to see was a Truck behind them which was speeding at ~40km/hr and was not expecting the indica to come on it’s way. The truck zoomed past the Indica with only some inches away from the rear-view mirror…and all this happened in a few seconds. Fatso gave an angry glare, but though Boozy tried to put up a straight face, Don smiled shamelessly. We put the incident behind us and went ahead with our spirits high…….

20 kms down the lane the spirits slowly declined… There was no resort. No petrol in the car. And Don didn’t have any idea where the hell we were. Fatso lost all his patience and blasted at Don. Guys, believe me, someone shouting at Don is a very rare sight and we were proud of ourselves that we didn’t miss such an event!!! :)..

Finally, it was decided that we search for a resort on our way back. Fatso, still in high tempers, played M:I theme and drove at ~90 kms/hr. Other poor souls in the car, including me, prayed for our life. We stopped mid-way and waited for Don & Comp to come. After 2 minutes, I got a call from Baldy (More.. please pronounce it as Moray J). He says “ Aki, come back, we hit someone.”. We drove back fearing the worst….Fortunately, the guy who was hit was still on his feet and having a nice time describing about the accident to the by-passers. He did a nice job. Managed to get a decent crowd in a couple of minutes. We spent around two hours convincing that guy. Finally, he did let us off by making him pay 1000 bucks and a free ride by Don to the nearest garage. (I guess Don enjoyed it very much ! lolzz)..

Apart from these, there were many small moments which made the trip more memorable. Moments like Fatso dozing off in the temple, Liliput (guess who) tricking Guru in the military canteen, praveen getting emotional after my singing, Shah’s swimming sessions, me beating Guru 14-0 in badminton, Boozy’s liquor measurement method, debate between Tarun and Boozy over property rates in Navi Mumbai, the delicious sambhar and aviyil made by Liliput and Don, boozy playing langdi in the building compound……

Such trips and outings make the words “memories” and “happiness” more meaningful…