To being an individualist..

Work ethics are a deep reflection of one's chosen path or philosophy of doing a job.

We are often faced with a dichotomy at work, between moving along with everyone - "doing well by doing good" v/s individualism. It takes me back to Ayn Rand's essays and books, which have been an influence to most of our teenage reading years, but then we are socially conditioned to unlearn from them. Society propogates that one cannot exist on one's own convictions and purpose alone.

I was revisiting some of Ayn Rand's concepts which are a great impact on my own professional path chosen. If we truly understand what the author meant, by the essence of putting your own happiness before others, it brings a fresh perspective to 'ways-of-working' too. Some of her inspiring quotes and what they mean to me,

1. " Objectivism is concept of man being heroic with his own happiness as moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity , and reason as his only absolute".

Interpretation: Putting your own happiness as purpose to achieve productivity and keeping "reason" as an absolute objective, gives confidence and conviction to choose what is right not just for yourself but also for the larger group of team/co-workers and organization. If we are able to put our truest conviction and reason before others and be persistent in our objectives, it yields higher productivity as an overall gain.

2. "Men have been taught that it is a virtue to agree with others, But creator is the man who disagrees. Men have been taught that it is a virtue to swim with the current. But the creator is the man who goes against the current. Men have been taught that it is a virtue to stand together. But creator is the man who stands alone"

Interpretation : Have the courage to disagree and voice it. If there is no creative debate we would never build solutions that last or scale. Critical thinking, questioning and reason of what is being proposed is a basic ask before picking up any job at hand.

3. "Hatred of the good for being the good, is the hallmark of the century. That is the enemy we are facing".

Interpretation : Never be afraid to applaud good work, felicitate a co-worker and gain from their experience. Feeling miserable or less of yourself, in other's success is the biggest short sightedness and myopic view one could ever suffer from in your career growth.

4. "If you don't know, the thing to do is not to get scared, but to learn"

Interpretation : Always put yourself in a non-comfort zone, do something new which adds to your learning. If you do not know it, will end up being a good learning.

5. "The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see".

Interpretation : Sometimes avoiding a topic for sheer convenience , not addressing the elephant in the room and procrastination becomes the most common observation at work. It is important for an organization and an individual to always call a spade, or steer towards the facts, rather than letting them brew to an evident disaster.

6. "The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it".

Interpretation : While each individual has their perception of truth, but it is important for us to constantly be on the search for it. Good things don't come to those who sit and stare - atleast not for long.

7. "Freedom to ask nothing, expect nothing and depend on nothing"

Interpretation : You always have the power in you to influence, manifest, change the course of action for objectives that have no collective interest. Thus always rely on yourself to make things happen and gather the right people towards a cause. If we wait for someone to guide us along, grant the resources and wait for their plan, we are not exercising our freedom as individuals.

8. "The question isn't who is going to let me, it's who is going to stop me"

Interpretation : Always try and believe in yourself. If you are in self-doubt , surround yourself with the right mentors/cheer-leaders to steer the course. But in the end, always believe in yourself.

9. "A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve , not by the desire to beat others"

Interpretation : Always be open to learn from others, but be your own competition. Also, you can never truly grow by putting others down.

10 . "An individualist believes there is no clash of interest among people and that any talent is a help, not a threat, to another talent."

Interpretation : Kill the noise in your head that your most talented colleague is a threat to your career. Your most talented colleague is your biggest ally , makes you a better version of yourself, helps you grow, creates an environment of healthy competition. If not, then he/she is definitely not a talent, but a mere sharp mind mowing people down or taking individual chances. You will find many street smart people building bright careers, but the most talented ones build a journey not just for themselves but also for others. Spirit of fostering at work is priceless.

Above all, whatever remains your conviction, stay true to yourself and your individuality. Adjusting to situations is good, but moulding your moral fibre beyond repair is not worth it for any job or career.