Author: S Ramesh Shankar

Born in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India, I have been brought up in different parts of India. Graduate in chemistry and post graduate in personnel management and industrial relations. Have been a HR practitioner for 38 years in the industry and have experience in working in steel , automobiles, FMCG and engineering industry. Was head of HR for Siemens in South Asia based out of Mumbai till March 2019. Currently founded hrishti - joy forever, a social enterprise to give back to society and work as Chief Joy Officer.

Who will plan my career ?

One of the vital questions I have been asked multiple times in my career as a HR professional by employees at all levels is -“Who will plan my career ? As we get into life, we tend to believe that our parents determine what we want to do in life. They we depend on teachers to guide us through what we want to do in life.

As we get into the professional world, we again imagine that our managers or leaders ,are responsible for evolving our career. In the beginning of our career, we depend on our seniors and our manager to tell us what is best for us.

Even when I visited a campus, I used to be asked by freshers, as to what their career will look like, in the organisation they were joining. I would ask them in return, if they could tell me as to how long they would stay in the organisation, ..they would respond saying they were not sure. I would then state ,that the day they were sure of their longevity in the organisation they are going to work for, we could discuss about their career.

Life and career are no different. We can always imagine ,that there is someone else in our lives and organisations, who will enable us shape our careers. Imagine an entrepreneur thinking ,that someone else is going to build and grow their company. It is neither the financier nor other investors, who are responsible for the growth and sustainability of their enterprise.

Similarly, an individual’s career is the prime and sole responsibility of the individual employee and nobody else. While everyone else can help us clarify what could be best for us, it is for us to determine ,what we want to do in life and how we do it.

A sportsperson cannot depend on the coach ,to determine how they want to excel in their sports. If they want to be the best in the world, they have to set their own goals and evolve the path to achieve it ,with the help and support of parents, teachers, coaches and friends and not the other way around.

Similarly, in any organisation, if an employee aspires to become the CEO of the organisation, where she is working, she has to set that goal and work on the knowledge, skills and road map ,to realise that goal, in a defined time frame.

I have seen children ,defining their goals in life and achieving them through hard work, determination and purposeful actions. The same is true for employees. I remember ,once an interviewee ,when asked where he would see himself in his career in 5 years ,replied that I would like to replace you as the head of the function.

The day we understand ,that I determine my destiny ,by my own actions, we will achieve whatever we dream in life. We need to steer our own life and career, thinking we are the CEO of our life and everything ,is in our own hands.

It is time to realise that ,only we ,can build our career and life ,the way we want it.

S Ramesh Shankar

30th Sep 2024

 

Why some children hate going to school ?

In my personal view, the best phase of our life is our childhood. I recall an old hindi ghazal, where the lyricist says, that you can take my wealth and every other phase of life, but please return my childhood.

I fully endorse this view. I loved childhood because, as children, we are unbiased and are willing to learn from all situations and fail without fear. We are willing to experiment and try out new things. We are never conditioned ,by the family or society around us.

As we grow up into an adolescent and then to an adult, we are mindful of what people around us ,will think of our behaviour and actions. We tend to behave ,as what others would expect of us rather than what we believe ,is the best for us.

As a child, I have enjoyed every phase of my school. The teachers were always willing to share their knowledge and wisdom ,without expecting anything in return. The best of teachers were role models for us ,to follow and we were keen to interact with them ,every day of our lives.

My own kids loved going to school because learning was fun and playing with classmates and friends was ,unlimited learning in interpersonal skills. If the school closed for vacations or for any unforeseen circumstances, they would generally complain about it. They would be very keen to get back to school ,at the earliest.

But, today, I find some kids, who hate going to school. I was keen to understand the basic reasons for the same and how we can address them. Children do not find fun ,in the learning environment in schools. Knowledge is drilled down the throat ,as if it’s a necessary evil. Teachers do not adapt learning techniques ,to the specific learning capabilities of a child.

Children are taught to be competitive ,both by teachers and parents and also by the society ,at large. Instead of learning from one another, they tend to out beat each other ,to stay ahead in the academic race. Society encourages comparisons, in every phase of life. Our parents tend to compare between siblings and neighbourhood kids ,and so it extends to society.

A child does not get the freedom in the school or home environment, to explore and discover their special strengths. They are compelled to follow what their parents or teachers think ,is best for them. Worse, if you are good in academics, parents and teachers even guide you on what is good for your career.

A creative child is typecast by the family and society and is not allowed to learn ,what they best like to. Some children love books while others learn from experiences and some may learn from others. It is best for teachers and parents to understand the learning styles of their children and adapt their teaching skills accordingly ,rather than the other way around.

I feel sorry for the creative and introvert children of today, who tend to be cast as non competitive and non social as they do not follow the rules ,defined by their teachers and parents. Any display of creativity or aloofness, is considered deviant behaviour.

It is time to challenge and change the educational system. We need to enable kids to learn ,by creating the most exciting learning environments ,at home and in schools. Teachers and parents need to spend time and understand the learning preferences of their children and accordingly create suitable learning environments around them.

Let us get back to an era, where children will again ,love to run back to school ,as it is exciting and fun to learn and play. They not only learn best in such environs but also learn life skills by playing and even fighting and resolving conflicts with their friends and classmates.

Let us together make learning fun for kids today and in the future.

S Ramesh Shankar

30th sep 2024

 

Secret of good health

The other day I was travelling in a train and my co-passenger asked me -“ what is your recipe for good health ?” I did tell him ,that I walk daily, do yoga and play badminton ,whenever I get an opportunity.

However, when I reflected on the same, a bit more, I realised that apart from a regular habit of physical exercise, the two most critical contributors to good health are, good food and good sleep.

If I say good food, I do not mean any nutritionist prescribed diet but healthy food, which our forefathers had ,and recommended to us. It could be green leafy vegetables, fruits, a lot of fluids and egg, fish or meat ,once in a way ,if you are a non vegetarian.

We may be connoisseurs of food and may also have a good appetite. It may be a good idea to have home cooked food and indulge ourselves occasionally, when on travel and not the other way around. What we eat is under our control and we cannot blame anyone else for the same.

According to Ayurveda and even allopathy, the root cause of most human disorders, is due to the indigestion of the food we eat ,every day. If we are able to plan and manage what we eat, then our health can be managed by ourselves.

A simple indicator to our physical health could be our weight. If our weight is within a range – Our height in cms minus 100 ( plus or minus 5 kgs), then we are in control of our weight . For eg if my height is 165 cms. Then my weight should be within the range of 65 to 70 kgs. This is just a thumb rule for good health and not certified by any medical practitioner.

The second key contributor to good health is our sleep. An average human being requires at least 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep. Do we manage to sleep 8 hours every day. Most of us blame our work and life schedules for lack of sleep. But, if we dig deeper, we find it is more because of our habits like binge watching of serials, movies and TV and the ubiquitous mobile phone which leads to lack of sleep. This is very much under our control.

If we develop healthy food habits and ensure a sound sleep every day, then only a daily routine of exercise of our choice ,could enable us to be healthy ,right through our life.

Exercise could mean a walk, jog, playing a game of our choice like badminton, football etc or gym or yoga or dance or anything, which we would enjoy doing ,and not consider it as a necessary evil which somebody has to remind us, to do it. The moment ,it is boring and drains your energy to do it, it may not become a habit.

So, healthy food, sound sleep and a regular exercise will almost guarantee good health. Apart from these three critical factors, the only thing we need to control is our attitude to life and living. Are we happy or sad ,every day of our lives. Do we crib or are we grateful ,for all that we have in life ? So ,our mental health ,is equally responsible for our happiness and this leads to good health.

So the mantra for good health is healthy food, sound sleep, regular exercise routine and being happy and grateful in life.

Let’s try from today.

S Ramesh Shankar

17th July 2024