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.

Silent Contributors

I was watching a video explaining the value of gratitude in life. I realised that many of us are not grateful to the people around us amongst family, friends and colleagues, who have transformed our lives from childhood. But apart from the visible people around us, there are so many silent contributors, who impact our lives every day.

Today I thought let me recall the “Unsung heroines and heroes in our lives.” If I start my day with a morning coffee, I need to be grateful to the milkman and the newspaper vendor, who quietly delivers my needs every day without fail. Whether a pandemic or not, the milkman or newspaper boy has never taken leave.

Then if I am taking a cab or auto or bus to my workplace, these drivers have faced the wrath of the weather or the pandemic and still are there for us to take a comfortable ride to work or any place of our choice.

The vegetable vendor, the e commerce delivery girls and boys have served us without expecting anything in return. Have we ever thought about being grateful to them in our lives. We almost take them for granted.

The Presswala, who irons my clothes, the Gardner, the house helpers, car cleaners, the security guards in my premises and the maintenance staff in my community and at my workplace have never taken a break so that we are always comfortable.

If any of my appliances at home break down I am eagerly waiting for the service technician whether it is a weekday or the weekend. The entire service community serves us day in and night out and we never bother to acknowledge their efforts.

Let us think of the government servants. The public health staff, the doctors, health workers, nurses, policemen and women are working for us 24 x 7. We almost take it for granted as if they are paid to work for us. Have we ever bothered to bow in gratitude to them.

Another important segment is the people who support us and enable us to succeed behind our back. They could be our teachers, who sacrifice their lives to ensure the success of their students. Many a time, the people who contribute a lot to our success never take credit for the same. I salute the faceless people, whom we may never come to know as to how much they made a difference to our lives.

Many of us tend to forget the people who have made us who we are today. It may be a good idea to visit our school teacher or an old neighbour or an aging aunt who helped us during our childhood. Expression of gratitude makes you feel humble and grounded. I recently visited a few friends and relatives and thanked them and they felt very nice about it.

Last but not the least, let us remember the soldiers on the borders from our armed forces who relentlessly sacrifice their comforts for our safety. They are there round the year and even sacrifice their lives so that we are safe as an individual and as a nation.

As in the photo above, the security guards in our community served us 24×7 always with a smile.

The list is endless. We need to be grateful to the family, friends and colleagues who are around us and visible to us every day. We also need to salute the silent contributors to our lives every day. It is important to remember that they serve us without expecting anything in return.

Is it time to bow in gratitude ?

S Ramesh Shankar

19th Feb 2021

Sparks of brilliance…

All of us have genes of brilliance ingrained in us. It is like the diamond hidden in the carbon below the earth. We need to keep looking within and one day we may find to our surprise what we are brilliant at.

It is generally our parents or teachers who find the gems in us. They look at every child as a potential and look for what we are good at. As we grow up, they make us realise our potential. However, as we become adults and work in organisations or even on our own, we either tend to forget our potential or do not find a mentor who can see that in us.

I realise that everyone of us has sparks of brilliance and it is upto someone to help us discover it. So, all of us as parents, teachers, friends, colleagues, bosses or even neighbours have a responsibility to help individuals discover their full potential.

Every child is born with innate talent. If someone in their life is able to help the child realise that capability through careful mentoring and support, then they become gems in life. Otherwise, that potential goes waste and neither we nor others benefit from it.

It is like any team game. In football, cricket or hockey, it is the coach, who helps every player reach their full potential. If the coach is not a great motivator, a true friend, a wonderful teacher or a mentor who never gives up, the best of every player is never seen. On the other hand, ordinary teams show sparks of brilliance when they have a great coach.

I have seen repeatedly in life that great parents or teachers transform the lives of children and bring out the best in them. Similarly great coaches make ordinary teams look extra ordinary. Similarly great bosses, make ordinary employees perform superbly.

On the other hand, a negligent teacher, an impatient parent or poor boss can make individuals less confident of themselves and we may never be able to discover our true worth.

As an employee throughout my life, I have learnt that the best in me came out when I was given the freedom to experiment, the luxury to fail and the time to discover myself. Every manager has a role to play to treat every individual in their team as an unique potential talent.

Every one of us has something within us. We need the right environment to flourish and encouragement to fail and learn. The recognition that we are capable of much more than we have done so far will be of immense help.

Every word of encouragement motivates us. Every act of support enables us to try our best. Every recognition of minor accomplishments makes us excel in whatever we do. It is people around us who make us what we truly are. Of course, we need to put our best foot forward.

As in the photo above, every mother discovers the brilliance in her child.

The light within us is always burning. We just need to ignite the spark and then we realise that the flame can be brighter than we thought and makes us realise our best.

Let us discover the best in us today.

S Ramesh Shankar

21st February 2021

Top 12 organisational priorities for 2023

Most of us as individuals make new year resolutions and try to live up to them to make us better individuals both in our personal and professional lives. Now, it may be time for organisations to make new year resolutions and strive to to be better organisations in the future.

I would recommend the following priorities as the top twelve for organisations to focus in 2023. They could consider focussing on one factor every month and thus make the world a better place to live in.

1. Move away from shareholder value to stakeholder value: Today most organisations and their senior management are focussed on how to enhance shareholder value. While there is no doubt that the shareholders are the owners of the company and hence we need to add value to their investment, it is important for organisations to realise that all other stakeholders like employees, suppliers, customers, governments and community at large are equally important for sustainability of organisations.

2. Think long term rather than quarter to quarter : Organisations tend to plan and strategise to achieve their quarterly results. While there is nothing wrong in ensuring consistent quarterly performance, it is important to focus on the medium and long term and not just on the short term results of the organisation. Sustainable organisations look beyond quarters and enhance value for all stakeholders.

3. Strive for employee wellness as much as organisational wellness: Managers tend to focus on organisation health. It is important for senior leaders in any organisation to focus on organisation health. If an organisation turns sick then it impacts all its stakeholders. However, it is important for managers and leaders to focus on employee wellness too. This is important because employees take care of all our key stakeholders of the organisation.

4. Focus on Sustainable products and services: We produce products and services to fulfil the stated and unstated needs of our customers. In this process , we may sometimes end up producing products and services, which are not sustainable in the society at large. Hence, it is critical for organisations to ensure that their products and services are always sustainable.

5. CSR should not be a statutory obligation alone: Many organisations today tend to serve communities around them more to fulfil their statutory obligations rather than a duty towards the communities they live in. It is time to realise that organisations cannot survive in an isolated world and hence need to serve the societies around them to thrive and grow in the future.

6. Target Carbon neutrality as a goal: This may appear as a long term goal. However, it is important for organisations to begin with small steps. Leaders need to find ways to neutralise the carbon they produce and emit in the environment so that they can aim to be carbon neutral in the future. This could be done with small steps like self generation of power by using renewable energy and so on.

7. Think “Zero waste” & recycling of resources: Organisations tend to generate a lot of waste and pollute the environment around them. It may be time for leaders to explore ways and means of targeting “zero waste” and recycling of resources so that they reduce unnecessary waste and pollutants in society. Recycling of packaging materials could be a first step.

8. Suppliers are as important as customers and employees: Most organisations focus on customers and then on employees. Yes it is true that customers apart from shareholders are the one of the most important stakeholders. After customers, managers tend to focus on employees. This is important too. However, there is a tendency not to treat suppliers with same value. Is is important to realise that suppliers are as important as customers and more so in times of crisis and hence they need to be partners to our success in good times and bad.

9. Let employee restructuring be the last option always: When an organisation goes through a rough patch financially due to business cycle or environmental factors, the first decision most organisations take is to reduce the number of employees as a way of cost reduction. It may be time to think of employee restructuring as the last option and not the first. Organisations need to realise that employees win customers, sustain suppliers and manage other employees.

10. “Customers” pay us always: It is important for organisations to realise that our “customers” pay us always. They not only pay employee salaries but ensure the sustainability and survival of organisations. I cannot imagine organisations surviving without keeping customers happy. Organisations tend to become arrogant over a period of time when their brand value increases and they distance themselves from customers. Hence, it is important for organisations to revisit their customer orientation periodically.

11. Equity is as important as profits: It is critical for organisations to be in good financial health always. Making profits on a sustainable basis helps organisations to thrive and grow in a competitive market place. However, it is important to realise that maintaining internal and external equity for all its stakeholders is equally important. Organisations have to ensure that equity is a value while dealing with customer issues, supplier problems or employee salaries. This will ensure its survival and growth.

12. Ethics has always to be a way of life: Shortcuts may yield quick results. This may end up in higher profits too. However, if organisations do not make “ethics” as their core value in all their business operations, they may not survive in the long run. History will always teach us that ethical organisations only can survive and grow in the long term.

As in the photo above, organisations also have equal responsibility to make the world a beautiful place like this exotic flower in the garden.

While the above 12 may not be the only priorities to focus on and may not be equally relevant to all organisations, they could be considered as important foundations for a sustainable organisation of tomorrow.

S Ramesh Shankar

15th Dec 2022