Hello, my name is paper and I am a piece of paper.
My purpose is to have people write on me and to be printed by printers.
I like the smell of wood because it smells like my parents.
My ambition is to be thrown away and recycled.
(lmao i don't know what to put in here, so thanks Claire for the message.)
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
listening to mund talking about how he led his team to new sales heights, i quietly reflected on my intended professional work direction.
it is indeed true that work experience really opens your eyes to yourself.
you'd think you know yourself well; think again.
push & pull factors have a way of emphasising themselves when you're out there in the working battlefield.
i used to think that i was all gung-ho and full of leadership qualities, and had a strong desire to lead. during school days, at least.
but, as i have come to realise, that was because school doesn't demerit you if you were a bad leader.
for simplicity's sake in this discussion, let us assume that I had failed in my role as a leader in my team.
if you were the leader of your team, if no one listens to you and decide to boycott the team, you know that you can depend on your good ol' self to deliver the work.
Worst scenerio?
Pulling a few all-nighters to compile the work and get it done.
After that then comes the bitching about uncoorperative teammates to symphatatic angels lending a listening ear.
what became clear to me was, whatever happens, the bottom line is that i will be able to get the work done.
so regardless of whether i was being an effective & efficient leader (or not), it simply doesn't matter.
i would not be penalised on my failure.
fast forward a few years, and here i am in a corporate environment.
same scenerio - to lead team to achieve x amount of target by x amount of time given.
but this time round, the amount to be achieved would be
Millions of dollars, as we are talking about banks here.
okay, i know i am determined, i am motivated, i have endurance, i am target oriented.
but.... falling back on my own support theory, should my team decide to boycott me, there is absolutely NO WAY that i would be able to achieve such sky-high targets no matter how many all-nighters i pull.
and i would have to face dire consequences - answering to the Management & writing reports, possibly getting warning or even the sack, something which i hate because of ego and pride. ( yes i am prideful i admit)
which is why now Management position in Sales actually sends chills down my spine.
i feel that things are out of my scope of control.
there you go, so now you know that being a leader in professional environment will get you penalised if you don't perform your role well.
instead of letting things dawn on deluded individuals like myself, i would humbly suggest that schools implement a system whereby the appointed leaders would be assessed on a different platform from the rest, that their results actually reflects their success (or failure) in leadership.
if the school/ public is worried that the appointed "leader" will not get the desired exposure to the text & research, how about rotating the leaders?
i understand that some individuals are not born-leaders and may abhor this system. then how about getting a few "natural" leaders and get them to rotate the leadership roles?
Minimally, I believe that this system should be implemented in BComm Management courses, if not secondary schools or tertiary education system islandwise.
students should learn from a young age what they should expect from a corporate environment, and schools should do their best to mirror the expectations the workforce expects of leaders, so that they are well-prepared to take on the responsibilities of a leader when they emerge into the working society.
that said, i salute to mund for shouldering the responsibilities so well, and even exceeding expectations with pretty results flying sky-high.
but no, this is not for me, thank you very much.