My brain…scatter brain

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“Don’t use your brain – if it existed, you would have found a way to achieve the target.”…sounds familiar…have heard it somewhere…

Most of us must have been subjected to this statement…wait a minute…subjected…I mean, we usually use these words when we talk of a sort of treatment being meted out to us. Well this statement seems almost tyrannical in thought…, no if’s no but’s, only acceptance and following of the so called directive.

So what drives this sort of remark…really haven’t been able to figure out for sure despite having the fortune of being both at the receiving end and charitable.

We exhort the virtues of open environment and feedback but get riled by the simplistic of statements which ask us to explain the reasons behind our stands. The very virtues we once rattled off in the HR round of interview – patient, flexible, adaptive, good listener – all seem to be good to be confined to the textbooks.

Admittedly, it takes a lot of conviction and courage to voice your opinion and then to face the opening statement of this post…it can be killing. If I voice the opinion, I am no good. If I don’t voice the opinion, then anyways I am incapable of thinking.

Why is thinking supposed to be the purview of the few…and I dare say that most of these thoughtful souls must have been the subjects of the opening line of this post. You have a team around you which has insights that can sometimes help set business on the right course – take it out of troubled waters- but then, they feel it’s a waste of time and energy to voice their opinion. The team knows what’s coming their way if they voice their opinion. Soon you become dismissive of all what is told to you and start viewing the situation as me vs. him. Worst, you become dismissive of the person – no genuine mutual respect, only lip-service.

I think the opening statement somewhere hides the frustration of the speaker…possibly at not being in control of the situation…maybe the going is tough and things are not working your way. But then the fact also is that none of us can always be in control of every situation. The demands and asks from us, though, remain constant – you have to be in control of the situation, no matter what.

The chakravyuh seems difficult to break into and even more difficult to come out of. What is missing are a couple of Arjun (ref. Mahabharth) but then even he had Lord Krishna as the saarthi to guide through.

Some soul searching indeed…

By: Sumit Singh
Dated ; 27th January, 2013

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