Of Managers and being Managed...

Often when people join companies; they do this with a mind-set that would help them realize a certain sense of fulfillment; possibly of a dream job! While the on-boarding is nothing short of death by power point, the real challenge arrives in the face of the manager. Whether the guy is trying to prove your worth at the time of appraisals or simply building his team of known faces, it somehow always rips apart your hard working soul. There have been several instances of exit interviews being drenched first in sarcasm that are later splashed with hard hitting venom against a senior, finished with the laced feeling of (pent-up) animosity for the employer that hired you.

Unfortunately all companies have the same way of dealing with their employees. First they hire you after about half a dozen interviews, then they train you; a rehearsed training from the managerial point of view, because the manager has usually been rehashing what he learnt from his senior, with little or no creativity reflected in his work. It’s usually a bumpy ride for a person who is genuinely talented. Sure there are fancy titles that blurt roles like, ‘talent acquisition’, ‘human resources professional’ and its breed. And it only takes about the time you complete your probation for the realization to sink in that most managers want asses; not pro-active horses. Talent on the other hand is quite another story. And if you are a first timer, splashing your skills to all and sundry; be sure to be the first one to be sacked. The trouble perhaps is hereditary. Your manager was beaten to study hard, and the fervor of forging ahead all the time is etched on his soul. This is so profound that you would find most seniors holding grudges against employee skills only at the time of appraisals; simply because they need to crush someone for making more space in their EMI-ridden salaries.

So the question arises; are we as self-starters really working or are simply being managed by managers to hold on to the job at hand? Why is it that we are only too happy at the end of the month; specifically at the time when the sms buzzes stating ‘salary is credited’? I had a manager once who asked me with a senior lady manager as to what I offered over and above work as usual. As they were both hand in glove and were out to find the most ridiculous of events to poke fingers at my work; I asked them out rightly; ‘Does it make a difference? You’ve anyways made up your mind to throw me out of my team’. Later I got to know that the manager (belonging to the NCR area in India) wanted to expand his clan with people from Noida and surrounding areas. And no; trust me I am not being biased; I just happened to be a lot better than his rut; and what was even worse was that I was from Mumbai. As for the lady, well she had all her fingers in all the pies around, with a husband who was on a senior post, (read as General Manager and above) and she was; well figuring out which department to head; and this was but a trial one.

So for someone who wishes to work and going up the ladder is perhaps the only way he could possibly be recognized; will it be right to work diligently, or do we simply continue to be ‘managed’ by the manager? What are your thoughts?