Great minds have purposes; others have wishes.(Washington Irving )

I have recently seen a case where three employees of a firm were thrown out because they could not be productive to the organization with in the stipulated period of time (or so the management thought). They were just whisked off into a room one day & asked to resign so that their track record is clear & if they refused to resign, they would be terminated. These infuriated yet scared people agreed to resign but did make some noise in the ears of the ‘right’ people. But nothing much can be done if the ‘right’ people decide to ignore it. I understand that the firm is going through immense pressure, but more is expected from a leader during crisis.

Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.
Publilius Syrus ~100 BC

I guess this is a clear-cut sign that the management needs grooming. They need to come to the work place with a different set of ethics. Treat your subordinates like family, fine, but not just a chosen few. And the rest are given step motherly treatment. Sad, immature & highly demotivating. A leader is someone who the rest accept as a leader, else, he or she is an autocrat. Autocracy breeds discontent which in turn affects the quality & quantity of the employees work. I am not saying that the leader has to be a cuckoo bird, nice & sweet all the time, but please, when will they get over their ‘ego trip’ of being higher humans. It maybe too late. In this case, they refused to accept the fact that these employees were not given proper training. The people responsible for training them have a track record for being headstrong & not helpful. People have already complained about them, but to deaf ears. They are the ‘yes men’ of the management.

I don't want any "yes-men" around me. I want everybody to tell me the truth even if it costs them their jobs.
Samuel Goldwyn 1882-1974, American (Polish-born) movie producer
(I don’t know who he is. I am quoting him because he understands what I am saying.)

Today’s aggressive business climate makes extra demands on corporate leadership as corporations fight to compete on price, quality and standards of service with international competitors. Knowledgeable, intuitive, decisive and responsible leaders capable of instigating change, recognizing and seizing opportunities, and winning the support of the workforce are essential if organizations are to maximize their opportunities for growth and development. Why can they not see it if I can? My style of management is situational & so it should be. There cannot be a set of tools that can be used and reused in all situations. Therefore managers need to keep sharpening their ethics & morals. Corporates need some real time church like sermons. I am not saying all this because I am not in the management. I guess I am chalking it out to myself so that if some day I am there (if I have the patience to stick around) I know what I should not do. And what should I do? Situational I Say :0)

To some men the matter of giving orders seems a very simple affair: they expect to issue their own orders and have them obeyed without question. (...) Psychology, as well as our own observation, shows us not only that you cannot get people to do things most satisfactorily by ordering them or exhorting them; but also that even reasoning with them, even convincing them intellectually, may not be enough.(Mary Follett,psychologist,in,The Giving Of Orders).

My last party in my first job.

My company hosted a party for the whole of my practice on Saturday. I managed to push myself to be there or a number of people would have beaten me up. I not only went, but also stayed till 4 in the morning. Am feeling very bad about leaving this firm. This is my first job, have been with this firm for more than a year. Have made good friends here. Change has never been easy for me. But I guess that its time for me to make a few decisions in life. I need a career, a solid one, not just work.
The party was fun. I was silent most of the night, but it was still fun. It’s nice to be surrounded by the warmth of friendship.
I just about managed to reach the venue to catch a dear friend trying his hand at humor on stage. Now this chap is naturally humorous, but that day, he just could not crack the code. Rest of the show done, we almost pounced at the dinner much before anyone else did & we started with dessert.
Then the lights went off, chairs swept away, music filled the room & then the naach gaana. Raj called each hour to ask if I had a drink or two as I was planning to get drunk that night. But he was so worried that I chucked the idea. Fine, I don’t drink, but I want to get drunk. But when you have someone so worried, it’s not worth it. Few drinks down the throat & people are having fun. The bar closes at 12, as the next day is a 'dry day'. People come to my chair & cutely stock all sorts of drinks there. And then I am supplying it to them for the rest of the night. So I did my own type of bartending for a day.
I was sitting happily with a few friends when the bouncer literally drags me onto the dance floor. Luckily for me, I did not need to dance, as he just kept moving me to the music, pulling me from here to there. So much for dancing, huh! I just about manage to settle down when another friend comes & drags me onto the floor. This time I decide to just move to the music. Not for a long time though. When I come back, an acquaintance tells me that he felt like throwing money on me when he saw me dancing. Now, I was not really impressed, but just about managed to smile.
Time passes, its 3 in the night & my head is splitting & my eyes are burning with the smoke. Just then the DJ announces that this is the last number which will play for 3 min. I am all glad and all when suddenly the panga man arrives & asks me for a dance. Here I must tell you about the panga man. This is the man who interviewed me & who gave me my job. I kinda liked him & we used to have these long interesting conversations on the way to work. I thought he was interesting & was a friend. Now, 2 months ago, thanks to his foolishness I had my first corporate panga. Now, I want to put that incident behind me, but I seriously thought he owed me an explanation because of which I was ignoring him royally. I did not know how to refuse & so went along. Just then the DJ announces his blah blah & ends it with saying "and guys, please practice safe sex, it’s a request". Both of us so damn embarrassed. Anyway, knowing that I am uncomfortable, my friends jump in & move me into their circle. I am breathing again. Soon, the party wraps up & time for me to go home. I already am missing these people. Guess I will never learn to 'move on'. I will always carry a heavy baggage of memories. Guess I like it that way:-)