How many masks can we wear?

How many masks can we wear?

I write my articles from pain and frustration. I write my articles after watching the same wrong repeated over and over again because no one wants to bell the cat. I write my articles with the hope that someday HR coaches and their partners in crime, aka, Motivational Gurus will get exhausted repeating the same concepts over and over again, and try to take the path untraversed.

I write my articles, despite the messages/comments I get from you that my concepts are theoretical. Yes, they will remain theoretical till the time we start putting them into practice.

But this one is only about a few stories. Stories that we encounter in India every day.

Story 1:?

It is a two-way street. The traffic going up has a temporary congestion that would get cleared in a couple of minutes. Maybe someone alighting or a cow walking in front of the first car in the queue.?

What happens next?

Cars, motorbikes, and even buses overtake and get into the lane for traffic going up, blocking the lane even though there is no apparent reason. In return cars, motorbikes, and buses try to overtake and get into the other lane, maybe pile up in front of the first car, which, maybe, is now ready to move.

Everyone enjoys the bliss of honking, abusing, and hot/humid weather!!! The story that we would have missed had we had the foresight before getting into the opposite lane. But why bother? If I am blocking the road, I will be accommodated two cars ahead in the queue, because we all need to clear the mess.

My selfish driving will get rewarded!!!

Story 2:

Parents are very worried if their kids ride a motorbike. At least, the ones whom I know are.?

Add to that the nuances of a digital epidemic that makes us compelled to answer a phone call, even during a natural break. Talking on the phone, and texting while driving are well-known dangers. I do not need to give a reminder here. (I sincerely think some evolution expert should start a project to measure how the cervical spine of humans is getting tilted sideways in the days of smartphones.)

But do our near and dear ones care? A BIG No to that. And that’s why parents and spouses are worried.

All changes in a jiffy, when the person riding the motorbike is not someone from our family, but a poor gig driver trying to make a living out of delivery service.

We do not think twice before calling them up and enquiring where they are. Information that is already provided by the map of the app.

But why should I care? My selfish need for delivery is much more important than the life of the rider!!!

Story 3:

Have saved this for last, because this is the best!

The government has forced us to save our own heads or else fine us for being irresponsible. But when husband and wife ride the motorbike with the child in the middle, it is illegal even with helmets. And the child outgrows the helmet in no time. It is a totally bad investment to buy a helmet for them. So why bother?

Let us risk the lives of our own children to selfishly save those extra bucks!!!

Hope my Indian friends have encountered these stories some time or the other. There are many more, but let’s stop here.

Let me end the note by checking if our friends in HR feel that these same people will align to things like “Company Vision”, “Project Goal” and show ‘teamwork”, collaboration etc. The personality changes when a person is at the office?

When are we going to accept reality and adapt to accommodate the selfish character of humans in our team management principles?

?#teammanagement #humanresource #collaboration #mentoring #thoughtleadership #leadership