Category: Concepts
The red carpet
I have always wondered as to why we use a red carpet to welcome important people on festive occasions. It could be a tradition or custom. It could also be a symbol of celebration. I should confess that I have not done any research on this subject. But I felt it may be worthwhile to spread my wings and let my imagination fly for the reasons.
In many religions red symbolises goodness. This could the reason. It could mean the occasion is auspicious and hence the red carpet. It could mean that you are remembering God while welcoming a guest.
Red could also a symbol of blood. It could show that you are welcoming your guest with your body, sweat, blood and soul – in a way whole heartedly. Blood may also relate to life and relationship and hence a connection is established between the host and guest.
In some countries red cars symbolise energy and youth. I understand that red cars are even charged more insurance. This is because they are likely to drive fast and more likely to make insurance claims. Thus red could represent energy and enthusiasm while welcoming a guest.
Red in Hinduism is sacred. It is supposed to protect you from all evils. This may also may be a way to welcome your guests and protect them from evil eyes being cast on them. It is fascinating how a colour could reflect so many things.
I wonder why the carpet could not be blue or yellow as they are also primary colours. I have no reason to believe why it is so. A simple logic could be that red does not fade easily and hence it may be easy to maintain red carpets unlike other colours.
It may be useful to reflect that colour of the carpet does not make the difference. It is the spirit in which it is used. In India there is a quote, which states that ” Respect your mother like God, Respect your father like God, Respect your guest like God and Respect your teacher like God. “. This means that the guest has to be respected like God. This could also be a logic for using a red carpet to welcome guests.
The red colour reflects royalty. It possibly is linked to the kings and queens of the past. If we look at the world of cinema, a red carpet is the symbol of the Oscar ceremony and may be reflects a regal ceremony.
I have no doubt that red is royal and regal. It expresses the emotions of the host to the guest in visual form. We have no doubts that a visual representation speaks more than a million words. This could also be the reasons for using red to welcome guests.
Red is used in most advertisements and this may also be a factor. Red could represent a colour which is striking and will be viewed by all. We can either believe our past and agree that there is logic in using a red carpet for any or all the reasons above. On the other hand, we can forget the past and change the colour to blue or yellow and see what people around us react.
The choice is ours. Red or blue – the emotions remain.
S Ramesh Shankar
8th June 2018.
The Appraiser & the Appraisee
It is performance review time in most organisations. The year is over and the appraiser has to review the performance of the appraisee. In most organisations, the appraiser is expected to have a pre-appraisal dialogue before she appraises her reportee to understand how the year has gone and what went well and what could have been done better. Many appraisers do not take this step seriously and even give it a slip. In this step, the employee is expected to speak and the manager listen.
The appraisee fills in the form and based on the understanding of the same, the appraiser assesses the employee. This then becomes a one sided appraisal as the manager has not been able to return to the other side of the story. It may be said that principle of natural justice, wherein you give a chance to defend yourself before being judged has not been followed.
In the next step, the manager assesses the performance of the employee and fills in her comments and feedback to the employee. This could possible be discussed in an appraisal group and then it is time for the manager to give feedback to her employee. The manager is expected to fix a date and time and preferably do a face to face feedback session. Most managers do it casually and in an informal setting like a canteen over a cup of tea. I recently met a manager, who stated that his boss met him for breakfast and gave him feedback in exactly five minutes. This negates the very purpose of a feedback session. In this step, the manager is expected to speak and the employee listen. The manager is expected to give feedback with real life examples of what went right and what could have been done better.
The appraisal is expected to be complete, when the manager sits with the employee and agrees on the targets for the next year and also the development actions. This enables the employee to focus on key areas during the next year and also helps the employee to take ownership of his development. This could be reviewed periodically with at least one review every six months.
The real conflict arises when the appraiser and the appraisee have opposing view points on the performance of the appraisee. This conflict could be resolved by asking for clear examples of high and low performance. It can also be substantiated by feedback from peers and internal or external customers. This may help the employee to get a realistic feedback and also take necessary steps for the next year to improve.
In most organisations, performance appraisal becomes a ritual and not so liked phenomenon. This is mainly because managers are not trained and do not possess the necessary skills to listen, appraise and give feedback. Both the appraiser and the appraisee dread this process and want to get over it more to tick a box then to celebrate the process.
As in the photo above, two way communication is critical for a successful appraisal dialogue. Listening more than speaking by the manager may facilitate a rich conversation.
One can make a performance management process rich in content and delivery by honing the skills of the employee and the manager. Each has a distinct role and has to play it effectively to ensure overall development of the employee. The real test of a good performance dialogue could be if it is inspirational or perspirational. The day the performance dialogue becomes inspirational, we have achieved the end as much as the means to the end.
S Ramesh Shankar
December 2016
Hrishti - S Ramesh Shankar 