Creating A Cult

Most of us find our colleagues doing exactly what they're told. It's not a surprise as the boss expects precisely the same thing from everyone. If someone wishes to be creative, and the job where they are does not demand that way due to the company's aggressive cost structure, clients just materialize, but a low-cost structure can cost them their job.

If you want a job where you get to do more than merely following the instructions, you shouldn't be surprised if your employers ask you to do things you were never taught in school. If you want a job where you can take intellectual risks all day long, don't be surprised if your insights get you promoted.

Stirring The Power Crunch

Power and politics hold strong negative connotations that arouse strong reactions which most of us are uncomfortable to raise, let alone confront. Even if we are generous with our thoughts, our second-hand emotions coupled with a suitable language framework often lead to missing such vital conversations.

Higher-ups often find it difficult to be vulnerable and honest, thus closing down - misunderstand - ignore - such vocabulary for being inappropriate. Our challenge is to stir a point of conversation and not to exacerbate the problem as silence.

Removing the Potency of Players

Sometimes I fail to understand that if an organization searches out - recruits - nurtures top talent in our industry, should they not do more to ensure that they direct their time, energy and talent into doing good work instead of 'playing the game'!

People down in the hierarchy take their cues about 'how things get done around here' not from the declared vision and values but from the unwritten rules and codes of conduct from their seniors. This political infighting often makes them forget about the fierce marketplace and customer standpoint, off-routing from the organizational goals overall.

Should you stay or should you go?

Often organizations insist to be mediocre, enforcing conformity in all its employees. Should you stay or should you go? The stagnancy of your skills can probably lead to decreasing your market value. You might often find it comfortable, but yes, you've been brainwashed into believing that this is what you're supposed to do!...(but it's not what you deserve)

Creating a Niche

Bosses don't necessarily fall for their employees. They don't stand up for them either, if the latter screws up without notice. Simultaneously, bosses won't guarantee their employee's success regardless of their behaviour. In order to be a star performer, employees need to be unpredictable in predictable ways. They need their work to gain momentum and win the trust subsequently.