Culture Shock

Tags

cricket sledging, Cultures

Cultures across continents never cease to amaze me. What is perfectly acceptable in one country may quite be abhorrent in another. What is fun in one country may be sacrilege in another ! Recent events prove my point.

You know the huge controversy that erupted when it was alleged that Harbhajan Singh called Andrew Symonds a “monkey”. Close in its wake, almost in retaliation,”Symonds baney Hanuman” was published in the Courier Mail.

I thought it to be in very poor taste and extremely provocative. Hanuman is revered as a God in India. It is almost like asking a newspaper in India to morph Harbhajan as one of the Saints or Jesus Christ himself (which shouldn’t be too difficult as he already has a beard).

In the same week, the now retired great Aussie fast bowler Glenn McGrath expressed surprise when India’s captain Anil Kumble was upset at the end of the infamous Sydney Test. Kumble had every right to be upset after all that he and his team had been through. It is alleged that Kumble, the perfect gentleman cricketer was called a “B*****d” by Brad Hogg.

This is mild stuff for McGrath because in his time he was supposed to have asked Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, the West Indian batsman, about a sensitive part of Brian Lara’s anatomy and was supposedly told in return to check with his own wife. He was extremely offended because sadly his wife had breast cancer. But he asked for it, didn’t he?

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has a hot potato being tossed up to it soon. No, no pun intended. His Excellency Nicholas Sarkozy, President of France arrives as the Chief Guest for the most prestigious ceremony in the Indian year, Republic Day. In some countries having his girl friend/possible fiancee, supermodel Carla Bruni accompany him formally would perhaps be considered perfectly acceptable. In more traditional India, it is bound to raise many eyebrows, apart from creating issues of diplomatic protocol.

Admittedly cultures are different but shouldn’t we be sensitive to such differences?

Having one set of rules for us and another for others reminds me of a popular phrase during my younger days : “Sauce for the goose is not sauce for the gander”.

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A Show of Emotion

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emotions, Hillary Clinton

The results are out. A very pleasant surprise. In the New Hampshire primary for nomination to be the Democratic candidate for the President of the United States, Hillary Clinton beat Barack Obama. In the early days of the campaign, she was supposed to be far ahead. More recently, she was beaten to the third place by Obama in Iowa.

Her show of emotion in New Hampshire has brought to the fore an issue which could either help or stop her from becoming the first lady to be the President of the United States. Is it ok to show emotion? Are tough guys/tough gals not supposed to display their emotions? Is showing emotion a sign of weakness?

I believe showing emotions is a good thing. It brings out your inner feelings and makes you more natural and genuine. I am not suggesting that one should be melodramatic or over do the emotion bit. Even at work, it is sensible to show emotion appropriately to get others to know how you feel about something. Keeping your emotions tightly within you does you no good over time.

One day it is bound to erupt -with consequences far worse than if you had showed your emotions in the first place.

Adding Value as An External Consultant

Tags

A Step A Day, external expert, HR consulting

Over a month (and 36 posts on the way) has passed in my Personal & Professional Development series called A Step A Day. I am glad that quite a few readers have spoken/written to me with positive comments. Interestingly, some want the posts to be shorter in length. Others have asked for more detail. I frankly don’t know where the answer lies. We’ll find out as we go along!!

I did some reflection myself. Who is this targeted towards? Not only the more conventional manager in a corporate organization but, I would like to think, to many others too. The first time entrepreneur. The family business owner. The HR professional beginning his second career as an independent professional and so on.

In India, unfortunately in my view, a HR consultant is pretty much tagged as a recruiter. This is because of the huge size of the recruitment market. Whenever I say I am a HR consultant, I am either asked whether I can accept one more resume or whether I can send a suitable candidate!!

Today’s post is directed to the true HR consultant. Who facilitates change in organizations. Who facilitates performance improvement as an external expert.

Here are ways in which the external expert can add value in a consulting assignment:

1.    Help set the strategic agenda
2.    Provide a process for thinking
3.    Probe issues by asking the right questions
4.    Be unafraid to ask questions that others may not ask
5.    Facilitate the thinking process
6.    Collate and analyze relevant data
7.    Facilitate different thinking in the team
8.    Act as a catalyst for decision making and action planning
9.    Be a honest sounding board at all times
10.    Provide constructive feedback on progress and outputs
11.    Help to identify and overcome weak areas
12.    Build energy and enthusiasm for achieving the results
13.    Guide people without being domineering
14.    Review progress periodically
15.    Plan for a gradual exit on achieving the assignment objectives

In my experience, this list helps you stay focused. Your work will not only be appreciated by your clients but will be richly rewarding to yourself.

You can subscribe to the A-Step-A-Day series using RSS at https://bprao.wordpress.com/category/a-step-a-day/feed

New Year’s Resolutions

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life goals, New Year Resolutions

The most popular resolution made at the end of each year is probably: ” I will make and stick with my New Year’s Resolutions this year” !

Many of us make resolutions, few get to keep them.

Here are the Top Ten Resolutions made according to a survey of over 300,000 respondents world -wide conducted by The GoalsGuy :
1. Lose Weight and Get in Better Physical Shape

Physical activity builds physical vitality. With every year of your life, you have more to gain from being physically active; as your age-related risks of chronic disease increase, regular exercise generally slows or reverses that trend.

2. Stick to a Budget

It’s been said that the best defense is a good offense. Developing and sticking to a realistic budget is a brilliant offensive move as it prevents overspending and ensures peace of mind.

3. Debt Reduction

One of the first things you have to do before any debt can be eliminated is to stop using charge accounts. If you continue to use the accounts, you are only fueling the problem, and building on it, not solving it.

4. Enjoy More Quality Time with Family & Friends

More and more people are resolving to spend more quality time with family and friends this year. This means you must consciously decide to actively and purposely work on improving your family situation every day.

5. Find My Soul Mate

Romance is alive and well as more and more people are looking for that special someone, their soul mate who lights their fire, the ONE whom they love unequivocally and who shares their worldview.

6. Quit Smoking

Becoming a non-smoker is probably one of the best decisions you can ever make, and is a life changing as well as a life saving decision.

7. Find a Better Job

A new year provides a sense of getting a free do-over, so you can try again and get it right. Many people resolve to find better jobs or to take a new approach to the jobs they’ve already got.

8. Learn Something New

People throughout the world are realizing that a strong resolve to lifelong learning is more than just education and training beyond formal schooling. A lifelong learning framework encompasses learning throughout the life cycle, from cradle to grave and in different learning environments, formal, non-formal and informal.

9. Volunteer and Help Others

A popular, non-selfish New Year’s resolution, volunteerism can take many forms such as spending time helping out at your local library, mentoring a child, or building a house to name a few.

10. Get Organized

Resolve this year to plan your days, reduce interruptions, clean off your desk, say “No”, and make detailed lists. The benefits of getting more organized include being able to save time, as you no longer look for the same things over and over again or need to replace things you can’t find at all.

Gary Ryan Blair is the inspiration behind New Year’s Resolution Week. This annual event was founded on the premise, that a single resolution can positively and profoundly create lasting change in your life and help to make the world a better place.

I am sure most of us would see ourselves in these resolutions. My top resolutions, not surprisingly for my age, all seem to be health related!

1. Drink more water
2. Walk Everyday
3. Keep my temper in check
4. Go easy on the fried snacks
5. Spend less than I earn

Do something different this year.  Don’t just make resolutions. Keep them.