DATED – 27th December 2014

One of those things, which I love to do, is to meet people and have one to one conversations. It is only when we have one to one conversations, do we dig in deep and discover more about and to each other. It is this habit of mine that has helped me build deep relationships with so many people.

A few days back I met a friend for dinner. We discussed various things – about her family, her work, her personal life, what all she is currently doing apart from career, and much more. She is someone who goes all out to make things happen. She works tirelessly, and knows how to get the best work done out of people. She also revealed that she had enough abilities to get work done out of people, but hadn’t been able to build great relationships with colleagues at office.

That sharing got me thinking. I realized there are two kinds of people that I see around. One kind of people, like my friend, who want results, come what may. The other kind of people are more focused on being good human beings. For them, people are more important than anything else. They want to be nice to people, they don’t want to make others feel bad, will console others, be a patient listener, appreciate others, and totally socialize.

Those whose focus on results, don’t really seem to care about people; not that they do it on purpose. But, they are so engrossed in achieving results that they forget about taking care of others’ emotions. Whereas, those who believe in ‘people first’ get so emotionally involved with others that they are ready to overlook the need to produce results.

I shared with her that the best way is to make a combination of both these sides. There is no joy in being lop-sided. Though she is producing great results in her office, yet she feels incomplete. In the same manner, if I am just being good to people and not producing results to my capability, I am wasting the potential that I have.

Mother Teresa is one great example of this. I am sure you will agree when I say that she is one of the noblest human beings born on this planet. Yet, she created Missionaries of Charity, which is a totally non-profit organization present in over 133 countries and has over 4500 sisters working. Missionaries care for those who include refugees, ex-prostitutes, the mentally ill, sick children, abandoned children, lepers, people with AIDS, the aged, and convalescent. They have schools run by volunteers to educate street children; they run soup kitchens, as many other services as per the communities’ needs.

It is this combination that will take us to great heights. Like Mother Teresa, we too can be this combination in our daily lives –

• As a business head, I must do everything to take care of my employees. But then, I will ensure that they are doing their job well.
• As a mother, I will pamper my children like crazy. Yet, I will give them enough work so that they get ready for their future.
• I will be all ears to my friend. At the same time, I shall correct him if I realize that he is treading on the wrong path.
• I will treat everyone with respect and relate brilliantly well. But, I must realize that it is my prime responsibility to produce breath-taking results in my career.
• As a teacher, I will be gentle on my kids. But then, I will ensure that they do well in the subjects.
• As a captain, I will mould enough pillars in the team. In doing so, I will also make sure that we become the winning team.

Vis-à-vis my life –

I was caught in this trap where I felt that my prime responsibility was to be a nice human being. A compromise on results looked OK to me. My defense would be – If I hold on to my integrity and genuineness, results will come. I was hoping for things to turn good for me. But it didn’t happen that way.

When I think about it now, I realize that I was being a mediocre. Yes, I must continue to be good to people. At the same time, I must be absolutely aggressive in getting results. Goodness must help me produce results and not remain an ordinary human being.

Since this is the last article of 2014, I really wish that each one of us who has read until here takes this resolution – to become a winning combination of – Goodness+Greatness! That’s when people will love me for the person I am and respect me for the results I have produced! For me, it is no more – Goodness or Greatness. It is going to be GOODNESS AND GREATNESS!