'Ho-hum'ed!

Exam time!!! A period during which:

• gastrointestinal enzymes are at their best,
• eyelids go droopy droopy,
• throat gets parched,
• my ear drums catch even the buzz of a small fly,
• i get motivated to clean my room,
• my head can't seem to separate from the pillow,
• watching the ceiling becomes a hobby,
• i feel like counting the window grills,
• pedicuring becomes so much fun that i wish i had more legs,
• i don't mind watching B & C grade movies,
• i take my mob out of silent mode hoping to hear my "You've got mail" message tone,
• there is this urge to call up my friends and bug them,
• i plan my outings, shopping, etc., etc.,
• i introspect and mull over my karma,
• i work out by walking to and fro inside my room,
• the laundry bag catches a great amount of attention,
• i feel like sticking more posters on my wall,
• i feel like listening to music at full blast,
• i wish i could run away from my hostel.

This is an incomplete list. There are things not worth making public ;). I have two exams tomorrow. I feel like a sloth...wish I could just climb on to a tree and doze doze doze all day. My body feels ethereal, as if I don't exist at all! Yes! I am suffering from Examopangosis, a deadly disease that affects students of all ages and streams. Is there a cure? Nah! You've just got to wait for it to pass over, just like cold. I take one whole week of bed rest. I feel great, rejuvenated!

Once upon a time I used to dread exams. Mostly during my school days. But now, I've acquired this "chalta hai" attitude from somewhere and I like it. Looking back, I have not lost anything by keeping my cool. It helps me stay awake in the exam hall and think clearly. If I get tensed, I am dead meat.

In my high school, I was a biology freak. Marks weren't a cause of worry. My fav Biology mam told us one thing which i can never forget - A good student goes to the movie theatre a day before his/her exam. An awesome teacher said so! I took it to heart. Not that one must watch movies and not study. She meant that smart work rather than hard work is the key to fun and success. Smart work means adopting short cuts, filtering out unnecessary info, single-minded focus and efficient time management. Rote is boring and makes me feel dead.

Now to get back to my subject...where was I?

Teaming up

Management is all about team work. Multitude of books and articles has been written on this topic. I feel capable of commenting on teamwork dynamics now that I have got a flavour of working in teams and have been severely exposed to the practicalities of this concept. I have been penning down my thoughts on this topic for quite some time. Here is my understanding of the term from my limited experience.

The reason for forming a team is to achieve an objective(s). As simple as that. But the degree of complexity involved in team formation is huge. Teams are formed to fulfill the objective of one person (usually the team leader/TL) or a group of people. In the former case, the TL chooses the members, briefs them on the objective and other related issues and plans the strategy with them. In the latter case, a group of people come together as a result of natural cohesiveness or a force (e.g. boss in an organization) to achieve a common objective. There may or may not be a team leader. The major elements of a team, in my opinion, are TRUST, OWNERSHIP, and COMMUNICATION. Without these, the team would cease to exist fruitfully. It is as good as dead.

Take the case of a business plan. Say, one person (TL) conceives the idea and selects other members based on the fit between their competencies and those required to draft the plan. Apart from the competencies, the TL must also look for the degree of commitment that the member has towards the idea. Well, the problem lies here. Most of us cannot commit ourselves totally to someone else’s idea, even if we agree with it. I guess it's due to our innate ego.

The TL must place great trust on every member. It is of utmost importance. It is this trust that attributes value to each member and seeks to give them a stake in the plan. On the other hand, the members must reciprocate with commitment and ownership. By ownership, I mean a sense of dedication, an act of taking charge or control. The plan is divided into tasks which are assigned to all members. Every member ought to trust one another to complete the assigned tasks and take charge of his own tasks as well as the plan as a whole. Consistent communication must take place among members for the successful completion of the plan.

I have come across people who finish their tasks beautifully and toss it on the others during integration. Such a behavior indicates partial commitment. It is the duty of every member to see to the smooth blending of tasks and make sure that final plan is in perfect order. They must realise that “pushing” the job onto others only undermines their own value.

A peculiar phenomenon is that a person is able to perform only in a particular team and fares badly in others. This could be due to difference in execution styles, incompatibility, dominating members and communication level. It is imperative for the members to feel comfortable with one another. This is the starting point for any team work. New idea generation takes effectively in an informal setting where constructive criticism prevails rather than a stifling cynical environment.

Respect for each other further deepens the relationship amongst the members. Well, efficient teams might achieve their goals by pressure tactics but I guess that is due to exclusive efforts of the “superior” few. Most of us like to work when we feel relaxed and are comfortable with our peers.

To me, the intangible motive is to gain knowledge, learn to look at things through other people’s eyes, work with others and most importantly, make friends.