Action V/S Result

‘I don’t care what you do. I want results.' It is a favourite catchphrase of many corporate head honchos. Their firm belief that the employees don’t work hard (they hardly work) doesn’t allow them to value the efforts of their team members. The bosses fail to foresee the possibility of their high-handed approach producing a negative outcome. A persistent pressure to perform may force employees to resort to undesirable methods to generate results. There have been occasional instances of even misreporting. (And later giving excuses for typos).

We must understand that the prime reason for stress and tension among employees is not their mandate to work or work for long hours. The cause of stress is the fear of not getting or getting low results. Organisations or superiors set targets, which become the source of stress for the team members. It becomes a tall order for the employees to produce the expected results while working under stress.

Does it mean we should not set targets or expect results while running our business? That cannot be. The results are crucial for every organisation. We will be directionless if we work without goals/targets/expected results. Therefore, the targets are essential, and we cannot say that we should not have them. Then, what is the way out? Instead of always shouting about results and creating tension, a prudent approach would be to motivate the employees to make genuine efforts without worrying about the results.

The main challenge for today’s businesses is to create workplaces where employees enjoy working. If people like their work, they will produce results because they will work with dedication and commitment. If the atmosphere is not conducive to work and if there is consistent pressure on people to deliver results, the organisation can never achieve its targets.

The revered mythological scripture, Gita, teaches us to continuously engage in action (work) without worrying about the results because results are not in our control. A modern manager or a business person would reject that statement (probably a mature leader may not). They may argue that those philosophical statements have no practical relevance and that they are for individual following, not for businesses. But if the company bosses are confident about controlling results, why do they often revise their targets and forecasts? Our ego may not allow us to accept it, but this is the eternal truth that we have no control over the results. Therefore, companies should migrate from result orientation to action orientation. They will surely see a substantial positive impact on their performance, and their brand value as an employer will increase manifold.

The same challenge exists in our education system. Schools, colleges, and parents expect their children to focus on grades/marks, which puts tremendous pressure on them and causes them to break down. Should the education system be learning-oriented or grades-oriented? Should children focus on self-development or securing grades through a mechanical testing process?

If we want children to learn, allowing them to decide on their learning trajectory is crucial. We spoil our children's careers when we don't ask them about their interests and force them to choose a path they do not enjoy. This attitude of parents poses a potential risk of sending children into depression.

In the absence of an employee-friendly workplace, employees wouldn’t enjoy working. Likewise, children would not enjoy their studies if forced to enter the unwanted territory. ???????

The essence of the argument is that employees and students should enjoy what they do. If we could ensure that, their performance would be superlative, with better results and less stress.