Work Life Balance-The Tree Way

A very well-known and favorite connotation of today’s professionals which is being referred by everyone be it a job seeker, an employer, an employee or for that matter HR professionals too is ‘WORK LIFE BALANCE’.

But the question is what exactly we mean by work life balance? Mostly we refer it to as no stretched working hours, no working on holidays and no carrying of work to home for which we heap the responsibility on the shoulders of either the organization or its culture or the manager.

But actually speaking these are not the only factors for disturbed balance between our professional life and personal life. There is something else also attached to it. Let’s understand it by means of a story:-

There was a carpenter named Mohan. He lived in a town called Kurusat. He had a small and happy family comprising of his wife and 2 kids aged 5 and 7 years. Mohan belongs to a very mediocre family wherein his ancestors were also into carpentry business and spent their daily livelihood by working on daily paid basis. Mohan was associated with a contractor for his project assignments and was paid wages on hourly basis.

One Sunday Mohan got an assignment at Raj’s place. Raj was working with a reputed organization at a mid to senior level position. Mohan reached his place by 9.00am, understood the work to be done by Raj and started taking out his tools. When he plugged in his machine, he found that it’s not starting. He did some R&D but still it didn't work and owing to Sunday no technician was available for repair. So he had to drop his day and return back home. When he called up the contractor to inform this, the contractor was immensely angry and scolded him to check his machine a day prior. Mohan, with a heavy heart of losing his daily wage for that day, informed Raj about his inability to complete the work. Raj noticed the sadness on his face and hence followed him till gate. Now when Mohan tried starting his Luna, he found that it has got some technical problem and because of which it is not starting. Again being Sunday, the mechanic was not available. Raj was observing him from behind. He asked Mohan to drop him till home. On the entire way Mohan was upset, sad and didn't utter a single word.

On reaching, Mohan invited Raj to visit his home and have a cup of tea to which Raj agreed. While entering, Mohan touched a tree trunk outside his home and thereby entered. As soon as Mohan entered his home, Raj noticed a drastic change in his behavior. He happily called his wife and introduced her to Raj, hugged his both kids with joy and started talking to them. After having tea, when Mohan came to see off Raj near his car, Raj asked him why he touched the trunk of tree before entering home. Is it part of any tradition or what? To this, Mohan smiled and replied that this tree is his TROUBLE TREE. Every evening, when he returns from work, he hangs his worries/problems/overheads of work on it and thereby enters home. While daily next morning while he leaves for work, he takes it back from tree. He added: - “Believe me sir; the load is lesser as compared to which I hung last night”. On the entire journey back to his home, Raj was thinking about Mohan’s incredible practice and felt highly enlightened by this incidence.

Work life balance has lot to do with our internal factors like behavior, attitude, and mindset. External factors are not in our hand but remember internal factors are guided by our own-self. Everyone of us shall have a trouble tree with us wherein we can hang our professional life worries/backlogs and do not allow them to fade away/take away the happiness and involvement of our personal life.  To have a balance between personal and professional life; it is necessary for us to keep both lives discretely apart from each other. Its all about quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and family and friends. Ultimately life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

“Never get so busy making a living that we forget to make a life…”

 Stay Balanced; Stay Carefree

We Reap What We Sow

The choice between what’s Convenient & What’s Right

               - The Seed Way…

The CEO of ABC Corp., Mr. Williams, was retiring next month and in regards to the same; he called upon a meeting of around 20 crucial members of the Company. The agenda of gathering was to appoint a fitment to his replacement. Mr. Williams introduced the group about his retirement and the plan of identifying an internal employee to replace his designation.

On listening to the CEO; all started chit chatting internally and there was a wave of excitement running in hearts of all. Mr. Williams then said that all of them are equally qualified, with proven track record and equally eligible to be identified for the said position. So in order to choose the right person who is Mr. Right to blossom the Company with magnificent colors and aid in the swift growth of Company; he has got zip lock plastic bags for each of them which carries seeds. Each one has to plough the seeds in a pot, water them regularly and take care of its upbringing. By end of 15 days, all have to carry their respective pots to the office and based on observation, Mr. Williams will take the decision. Although astonished, all were excited about the whole exercise and more of to the ultimate tag to be attained post that activity which created more fascination.

All went home happily with their bags, buying a beautiful pot and best of the fertilizer on the way to home. The first thing that they did on reaching home was to plough the seeds in their expensive pots, water it, add fertilizer and then doing the daily activity. Amongst the 20 chosen employees, there was 1 employee named John who also did the same as rest 19. All used to do the same thing daily for first 5 days, then on 6^th day onwards they started sharing their experiences. Few of them got a yellow flower, few got 2 red flowers, few got orange sunflower and few got white lilies. On the other hand, John was little sad as till date there was no flower to his plant. He still watered the plant and adequately fertilized to eagerly wait for his 1^st flower or at least a leaf. Days went by, all kept on cherishing their flowers and the plant’s growth but alas, John was still resenting as his seeds has not even grown the roots!!!

On 15^th day, all the 19 brought their pots happily and with pride on their faces. However, John brought the pot with immense heavy heart and with a sad face. All were informed to gather in the conference room. All intended to keep their pots in front but John kept his pot at the last, feeling ashamed. Mr. Williams entered the room. He started observing plants one by one and asking the concerned about experience of upbringing the plant. Everyone started talking about their efforts and cautious approach for the 15 days exercise. After listening all, when Williams turned to John, he was surprised to see his pot. He asked him, “Is this your pot?” to which he replied “yes”.

Mr. Williams holds and raises the hand of John with happiness declaring him to be the next CEO. Everyone’s jaw was dropped in the room as to why John was chosen. Then Mr. Williams announced that the seeds that were handed over to be grown have no potential to grow at all as they were the dead seeds!!! All the 19 employees played trickery and manipulated results by buying a flowery plant from market and presenting in front of management; while unlike others John consistently and honestly kept watering the seeds and feeding fertilizer without losing hope and presented the honest outcome in front of management.

“Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it

While; Right is Right even if no one is doing it”…

This story makes us understand the true meaning of Integrity which means- Doing the right thing even when no one is watching you. Integrity is one of the core values that is a mandatory expectation from a professional. Also as rightly titled that whatever we sow the same would be reaped. It was convenient to buy plant from market and present rather than having patience and doing what’s right. John sows honesty, commitment, consistency and trust which reaps him to be appointed as next CEO for the Company.

                       “Respect is earned;

                                      Honesty is appreciated;

                                                        Trust is gained &

                                                                    Loyalty is returned”…