The Eye of Sauron

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Lord of the Rings

Amazon Prime promoting the upcoming “Lords of the Rings: Rings of Power” took me back in time (~20 years!!) - when I felt I discovered a different world watching the first movie and went on to read the books.

It had so many takeaways but something that has been deeply etched in me is “The Eye of Sauron” (picture above). Most of the series, the main protagonist Frodo is trying to destroy the Ring while avoiding the evil “Eye”.

“Eye” could be seen as a metaphor of a higher power who is focussed in one area while the rest might be going unnoticed. Similar to old lighthouses.

But what about areas where the “Eye” couldn’t focus?

Theory X Theory Y

This theory (Link) - in a nutshell - says there are two extreme ways to look at employees in an organisation.

X = people don’t like to work, they must be monitored and coerced.

Y = people if given right direction, can give the best on their own.

X seems to be the “easy” thing to do but can’t Y help the organisation bring out its creative best?

Pavlov’s Dog

Pavlov conducted experiments on his dog which developed into the area of “Classical conditioning”. A seemingly unconnected action (stimulus) can trigger a reaction by repetitively reinforcing it.

A bell was rung daily, every time food was given to the dog. So much so that, after some time, the dog started to salivate on just hearing the bell.

Though it seems like an “experiment”, we do encounter this in our daily lives which are seemingly equal but not necessarily so. For example,

• Sitting late in office = working hard
• Speaking articulately = Better expertise
• Smiling outside = happy inside
• Religious = trustworthy
• Loud horn = Lorry; air horn = autorickshaw; bell = cycle

Follow-ups

Ask any person and they will stress the importance of “following-up” - especially in Indian organisations. They would say, if we don’t follow up enough, work doesn’t move.

The same goes for a lot of parents - they would say that if they don’t follow up, their children wont study.

Agreed that it is important but:

• What happens when we are not able to remind? What if the “Eye” misses some activities? Should it be done or kept aside?
• Are we giving sufficient space for the person to feel responsible on their own? Like Theory Y
• By continuously monitoring and following up, aren’t we making them a Pavlov’s dog? They might be waiting for such a reminder to start work.

The students are the future employees. If parents and schools focus more on making children “do what they are telling”, they will expect the same in organisations - “Tell me what to do, I will do”. The secret sauce of creativity and passion will go amiss.

What do people do behind you?

If we are that “Eye”, how do we ensure that things are fine even if we are looking elsewhere? Why should it depend on the “Eye”? Can’t it be made monitoring-proof?

Few ideas that we can consider:

• Like Theory Y, build an environment of trust, capability & accountability
• Inspire people to follow your cause - rather than your instructions
• Transparency on common objective - “we need to achieve X” rather than “Do Y and Z”
• Even if things are time-bound, let the “deadline” be the stimulus - not anyone’s reminder
• Give the teams time and space to evolve on their own. Like the principle of “Kaizen”, may be better processes might evolve that a higher-up wouldn’t be able to even visualise. The best ideas tend to be bottom-up - only if someone is listening!

At the same time, it is our individual duty to our best even when no one is looking!

Ending today’s article with a wonderful story (Detailed Link) about the time when Narada asks Vishnu - “Who is his greatest Devotee?”.

Vishnu points to a Farmer. Narada is not convinced. Hence, Vishnu asks Narada to carry a pot of oil and go around the world without spilling it. Narada completes the task. Then Vishnu asks, “How many times did you remember me?” Narada sheepishly says “None, I was just focussed on the task you gave.” . Vishnu concludes saying that the Farmer is also doing his task and still remembers me twice a day. Hence is the greatest.

Like the farmer, if we are able to do our duty without knowing if anyone is watching, the world will be a better place.

Thank you for your time. See you next week!