Educational

Professional attitudes must go beyond workplaces

A pilot was driving home after finishing his duty. As he passed by a market, he bumped into another car, driven by manager of a famous restaurant in the market. It was not a bad accident at all. No one was hurt. It simply left a small dent on the manager’s car, which could have been easily fixed. However, it triggered manager’s anger beyond control. After a few minutes of heated arguments, he thrashed the pilot. The pilot, in an attempt to protect himself tried to escape and moved his car. However, the manager wouldn’t leave him. In this process, the most unfortunate and tragic thing happened. Manager’s leg got entangled in the front wheel and he was run over by the pilot’s car. He died on the spot.

This is one of the many road rage incidents, which kill thousands annually.  However, what is noteworthy in this case is that both the people involved were in a profession, which requires them to be patient and keep their cool. A pilot is trained on what to do during a turbulent weather. Hotel/restaurant managers are supposed to know how to handle difficult guests. Keeping patience and being polite are demands of every profession but are stressed much more in the hospitality sector.

My friend from North India who shared this incident with me wondered as to why their professional training did not help them in this instance. A very pertinent question indeed!

There seems to be a disconnect between our professional and personal attitudes. We need to ensure that we apply our work workplace learning’s into our life as well. Attitudes that work at work, work in social and personal life as well.  There is also a point for consideration for workplace trainers. Usually, professional trainings provide approaches and solutions to deal only with workplace situations. A pilot is often trained to remain cool while flying and dealing with his crew or passengers on board. Similarly, a hotel manager is trained on being polite with his guests. They are not trained on developing an attitude of politeness in life. Hence, they are different when the leave their workplaces.

I would draw the attention of HR managers, professional training institutions and trainers on this issue. We all need to think out of the box and present examples and case studies, connecting work and life, particularly when it comes to issues related to attitudes and skills. If we don’t do this we may end up only assisting a manager keeping a fake smile on his face while he is at work. But he risks losing his life over a small dent on the car outside his place of work.

We in CBWE talk much on professional attitudes but do we really follow it?

I don’t feel like going to work…

 

There are phases when one feels low at work. Motivation to do things takes a nosedive. You don’t look forward going to work. Others may not know but you yourself know that you are not performing at your optimal level. How does one keep his motivation at work against all odds?

How to keep one’s excitement amidst mundane and monotonous activities is one of the challenges. Complacency sets in after doing a job for some time. An attitude of assuming new tasks and responsibility helps here. It allows for new learning and also opens doors for career growth. So, go ahead and explore if you can do something different and new. Newer assignments should not be seen as burden. They are actually opportunities that one should make use of.

De-motivation also stems from unhappiness. Try to find out what makes you unhappy. Ask yourself, what is bothering you? Can you do something about it? True, we can’t address all causes but we can do something for some of them at least. If you don’t like some of the tasks assigned to you, remember you are not the only one who feels like this. No one enjoys all aspects of his job. The approach should be to draw energy from the tasks that you like to do and deliver your best even on the ones that you don’t apparently enjoy so much.

Another critical issue is the work-life balance. At times we get so absorbed in work that there is hardly any time for family and friends. In some situations, some personal or family issue takes a heavy toll on us and we find it difficult to concentrate on work. Workers who have a happy family life are generally more motivated and hence better performers. A good news is that happiness can also be created by doing small things with colleagues, with family and with friends. It is very important to maintain a healthy work-life balance. One needs to ensure that adequate time is spent with family despite work pressures.

Hope we all look forward to going to work when we wake up in the morning. We should also not forget the fact that we are blessed to have a job as not everyone has one. Many wakes up every morning wondering where they can find work or even a day’s earning.