It doesn't matter what I am good at, but what I am interested in matters

Photo Credit :Andre Pan

One of the questions in traditional interview would be "what are you good at". Most of the response that we give / get is something in line with the job posting for which the interview is conducted for. Mostly it is not true state of affairs as there is a desperation to get a job. 

In my view, it is not "what I am good at" that is important but "what brings me pleasure" is important. When something brings pleasure, then I may try to do it very often and by practising it over and over again, I may become good at it. After all practice makes perfection. But it need not be true that if I am good at something, then it brings pleasure. For example,  I am good at Bank reconciliation, Trial balance tallying, financial projection, costing. I was interested in that and become good at that. Even now I am good at that. But I have NO more interested in that. Interest keeps changing. I then moved on. Now I am interested in setting up new business unit, a Start Up or something that I can make from scratch and make it functional before taking up another project. 

For any activity the interest level grows until it hits the resistance levels. Once the interest hits that levels, it may start to decline. The quality of output will decline. Once we know that the interest levels are falling, you may have to watch out your support level and try to rise it  to find a new resistance level by slightly altering the course / nature of task or to exit and start something new. If you cannot find the support level then there is no point in continuing it.

It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to. -Annie Gottlier

If you start feeling that 'I have to do" instead of "I want to do", then it is the sign that you are hitting a resistance level on that task.

Check the activities that you are doing routinely-- if no one is using it, you have 2 options try to either make the output more meaningful so somebody who was suppose to use it or politely highlight that task has become redundant and instead do something else that bring pleasure.

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." -Aristotle

Identify those tasks that brings you pleasure. If you don't know what it is-- then think of something where you have lost sense of time while doing some activity--most probably that is the task that you might like.

Else, we would become like most people who work just hard enough not to get fired. By the way, if one become that kind of resource, mind it they would be paid just enough money not to quit.

For being a good leader,

• While recruiting / selecting a team member, identify whether the person's interest  is in line with the project in hand
• A person may have many interests at the same time, check whether the 'interest' that you may want to use is having a higher priority- else the person may switch to an interest that is more enticing.
• Oil his lamp and keep it burning- Motivate the interest, encourage, constantly poke the learning thing in the interests to keep it alive and going
• Frequently evaluate whether the 'interest' quotient has increased or decreased and identify the reasons behind it
• May be you want to make something differently for the person; or
• he would be a better fit elsewhere
• If the interest of some one has evidently changed, it is better to responsibly guide the person and help him to achieve greater heights rather to just curse with a bad ratings. It is not firing but just being responsible and highlighting. Rather it would end up being useful to both.

If you are a team member, just turn the table and apply the same principles.

Cost cutting, Firing and related impacts

It is not new, to hear there has been pink slips in the name of cost cutting, neither it is new to hear that the employee is quitting for a better remuneration.

Employees quit a job because elsewhere they either get paid well, or given higher responsibility or they can grow knowledge or the job is more secure or many reasons or they just don’t like the current job or management.

The flip side of the story is the company sacks a person because they can get someone of the same quality with lesser cost, they bring in new knowledge, the bring more loyal people  or simply the management does not like the outputs from the employee.

But why is employee quitting mostly ends up with “all the best”, and the company sacking ends up “to hell with the management” or many rumours?

If you have been in either of this situation, please share your thoughts in comments.

8 Essentials- Seeds for growth in Career

YM Chong Fu Li

My boss, has retired recently. During lunch time, I visited him to pay my respect and courtesy. He recollected few instances from his life, few things that he practised. Following are summary of what I could learn from the discussion today. (I have added some example or sentences so that what I understood is made more clear).

1. Make your boss life easy. Go the extra mile 

Assume yourself in your bosses’ position and receive your output as he would receive. Check if that is what you would want to see as output. Ask questions as if your boss would ask. Try rejecting your output with reasons. Then you would discover what needs to be done and that is doing extra and going extra mile. If you are asked to make a doll, make a doll and perfect it. Going extra mile is not making a spare leg or hand for the doll. But taking more care in bringing the output more than what it is. You are more capable of what you think or what others think. People who prove to themselves don’t need appreciation from others because it is not worth more than yours. Only those who cannot prove to themselves will expect it from others. So, time and again prove that to yourself by doing more and make your boss life easy.

2. Never hesitate but dare to take unpopular decision 

For the sake of avoiding conflicts and bitterness, people generally tend to take a decision based on the popular choice of the options. But it is not necessary that the popular choice needs to be always correct. Dare to take unpopular decision which honestly you think that is good for the organization. Choosing a popular decision may postpone or reduce the severity of the problem for a shorter period but may not be helping in the longer run. If a popular decision fails, those who were favouring those popular choices were not going to stand behind you or take responsibility. Those who stick on to the popular choices remain, at best, as managers. Those who dare to take unpopular decision move ahead and make themselves as a leader.

3. Maintain your health and happiness 

You may forget until it becomes too late to realize to chase your dreams, both the physical body and mind should be intact. Proper health makes a better body and happiness makes a sound mind. Never sacrifice health and happiness for the sake of anything else. But discover what is real health and real happiness. For some, doing work itself is happiness.

4. Never sacrifice your principles fearing accusation 

People who bad mouth will bad mouth- do not try to satisfy them- you would never succeed. Never sacrifice your principles for anyone-- they are the one that defines who you are. By the way, principles are something that you honestly believe and adopted by practice over a period of time. Let people talk whatever they want, but they would someday realize the truth and intention behind. Anyway, it is irrelevant whether they realize or not so far you are true and honest and keep your head high and be proud of whatever you have done.

5. Do not be in your bosses’ black book 

You don’t need to be in good books of the boss, never matter but never be in the bad books of the boss. Once you are in bad book, it is just enough that the sight of you or hearing your name would trigger the bad memory in their mind. Every time your bad avatar pops up in their mind, the more stronger it is stamped. It is going to be very tough to erase it and overcome it.

6. Be polite 

Even if you want to give a bitter pill, you want to give a honest critical feedback do so but with politeness. No one deserves an impolite treatment. It doesn't mean that you should bend, you can be tough. But for being tough you don’t need to be harsh or impolite.

7. If you fall, get up first 

If you fall in a ditch, first thing you would be doing is to get out of the ditch and then analyze why you fell in it. You don’t want to first analyze why you fell and then to get out of the ditch. Learning from mistakes is good but it should not hinder your advancement. First move ahead and make room for yourself and then think of the mistake to learn from it.

8. Apply Common sense 

Common sense is something that is commonly uncommon. The first and foremost thing that you want to do is to apply common sense. Solution sans common sense is null and void.