On-duty Vs On-Job

String of pearls broke the thread leash and came hurriedly dancing …“Let’s just approach this differently. How about humanizing corporate dialogue and decision making? What does a “decision” mean? Who can make decisions? When will authority override? How do we deal with the college and collage of subjectivity in most meetings? How, after a decision is taken, it can belong to everybody and not an in-group/out-group?”

“Just do as I say” stood a hard wall, cutting the earlier flow and jerked into Keerat.

Keerat felt uneasy ripples inside because of the sternness from Sachi, however tried to keep the professional calm on her face. On that afternoon, the door closed sadly when Keerat left Sachi’s cabin.

Keerat had been a consistent optimist, an idea factory, a regular spark of energy, a dutiful being.

Later in the day, towards closing bells of her work stock, she sat down and suddenly rushed into a deep pond and ponder of “Why aren’t people getting it? Is it so difficult for people to see the reality as I am seeing?”.

Shashi was passing Keerat’s cubicle and spotted her as a loud “MISSING” poster. Shashi gently nudged a “So why is the bright light dim today?”. 

Silence replied on behalf of Keerat.

Shashi had been occasionally conversing with Keerat and sensed the anxious air.

He pulled a chair and a smile too and said, “In such situations, there are two mantras. One: Act out of Calmness. Two: Act out of reason of faith or faith of reason. Duty works on principals of calmness and in-it-together. Job loiters in corridors of agitation/scheming/distrust/"my view"”.

…“Look. One reason why we have faith is to entrust on the judgments of others. Wisdom traditions across scriptures and science now tell us that each of us operates on both faith and reason. They go hand-in-hand. And as Nobel Winner Amartya Sen puts it, that for sure reason works, but one has to think and reason even the reach of reason…because reason toils…but it also tires. It goes only as much. It has a reach but finite”.

Shashi drove further, “We are a collective species. Each of us bring our passion-skill…some similar and some complementing. And our duty is to bond so strongly that we believe that together, we cover deep enough rationale. Never ever in human existence, one has ever had the time to explain everything to everybody. And it is natural to receive many goals/actionable which appears illogical or out of place”.

The tense in Keerat’s shoulder somehow settled a bit and the attentive posture came alive.

Shashi now entered deep his memory library and pulled out “In the two million years of human evolution, every one of the 100 billion humans who have walked this earth have had the same situation. The “outside” will always be challenging, questionable, sometimes illogical, sometimes war-like. And when confronted with such situations, its natural-age old-primitive brain response is flight/fight/faint/freeze according to Dr Dan Siegel, leading Mind Coach. However, one of the other fruits of human evolution is the emotional mind (mid-brain) and the rational mind (cognitive brain). Put that to use. Observe yourself every hour and scan-sense the tension in the mind…on the face…in the shoulder…in the posture...in the speed of the breath…in the feeling inside. If you find that disharmonious, agitating like raging water….first just bring “stillness” inside. Deep breathe. Exhale intensely. Ask the next 5 breath to go slow”.

Muted Keerat suddenly voiced, “But that’s so difficult when in everyday life”.

A tiny smile climbed Shashi's face once more, "Of Course it is. You call yourself skillful in HR. Were you born with it? Let me answer that for you. It’s a “No”. But you worked over a period of time to become proficient. And guess what, you continue to learn more and be open to new paradigms in it”.

Keerat’s eyes blinked with acknowledgement.

Shashi continued, ”In the beginning when one is acquiring a new faculty/skill, it is indeed difficult. But perfection makes practice look a big sense. Similarly with continuous self-observation, self-awareness, and using the litmus of one’s own mind sensations and body sensations, you can convert your own mind and body into an exclusive spa. Which is open to you anytime-anywhere”.

Keerat was waiting less near her ears, more near her mouth during all this. Uttered promptly…”but what do you do when decisions taken aren’t explained/understood well”.

Shashi rose from the chair as if to close the curtains on the discussion and said, “If you believe in the person, just go for it. If you don’t believe in the person, go and ask. If you don’t get the answer, do your duty of following the instruction, remove self-interference in the action, decimate the barriers within of too much of analysis…give in your best karma”.

“One never regrets a dutiful karma ever. But one surely laments a missed opportunity to act from either heart or duty”.

“As a start, also remember that the place you occupy is a unique place in the universe. Not many people have the opportunity or fortunes of making it wherever a person is in Corporate. Homage it as you age it. Smile and do duty. Duty takes care of Job but Job can’t guarantee the performance of duty.”