| [The spartan wealth creator|http://www.business-standard.com/special/billion/year2000/prof3.htm] |
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| [NEEDED, A VALUE SYSTEM WHERE PEOPLE ACCEPT MODEST SACRIFICES FOR COMMON GOOD - Western Values And Eastern Challenges|http://lakshmir.blogspot.com/2002_11_03_lakshmir_archive.html#84236029] |
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| +2003 05 29 - A friend forwarded the following - Please send any authentication information ! |
| + |
| +Extract of Mr. Narayana Murthy's Speech during Mentor Session: |
| + |
| +LOVE YOUR JOB, BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY BCOZ U NEVER KNOW WHEN COMPANY STOPS |
| + |
| +I know people who work 12 hours a day, six days a week, |
| +or more. Some people do so because of a work emergency where the long |
| +hours are only temporary. Other people I know have put these hours for |
| +years. I don't know if they are working all these hours, but I do know they |
| +are in the office this long. Others put in long office hours because they |
| +are addicted to the workplace. Whatever the reason for putting in overtime, |
| +working long hours over the long term is harmful to the person and to the |
| +organization. |
| + |
| +There are things managers can do to change this for |
| +everyone's benefit. Being in the office long hours, over long periods of |
| +time, makes way for potential errors. My colleagues who are in the office |
| +long hours frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue. Correcting these |
| +mistakes requires their time as well as the time and energy of others. I have |
| +seen people work Tuesday through Friday to correct mistakes made after 5 |
| +PM on Monday. |
| + |
| +Another problem is that people who are in the office |
| +long hours are not pleasant company. They often complain about other |
| +people (who aren't working as hard); they are irritable, or cranky, or even angry. Other people avoid them. Such behavior poses problems, where work goes |
| +much better when people work together instead of avoiding one another. |
| + |
| +As Managers, there are things we can do to help people |
| +leave the office. First and foremost is to set the example and go home |
| +ourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long hours. His |
| +words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these chiding groups |
| +e-mails with a time-stamp of 2 AM, Sunday. Second is to encourage people to put |
| +some balance in their lives. For instance, here is a guideline I find |
| +helpful: |
| + |
| + #) Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work. |
| + #) Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours. |
| + #) Go home. |
| + #) Read the comics, watch a funny movie, dig in the dirt, play with your kids, etc. |
| + #) Eat well and sleep well. |
| + |
| +This is called recreating. Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 |
| +enable step 2. |
| + |
| +Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts. They are hard for some of us because that requires personal change. They are possible |
| +since we all have the power to choose to do them. In considering the issue |
| +of overtime, I am reminded of my oldest son. When he was a toddler, if |
| +people were visiting the apartment, he would not fall asleep no matter how |
| +long the visit, and no matter what time of day it was. He would fight off |
| +sleep until the visitors left. It was as if he was afraid that he would miss |
| +something. Once our visitors' left, he would go to sleep. By this time, |
| +however, he was over tired and would scream through half the night with |
| +nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for his fear of missing out. |
| + |
| +Perhaps some people put in such long hours because they don't want to miss |
| +anything when they leave the office. The trouble with this is that events |
| +will never stop happening. That is life!! Things happen 24 hours a day. |
| + |
| +Allowing for little rest is not ultimately practical. So, take a nap. Things will happen while you're asleep, but you will have the energy to catch up when you wake. |
| + |
| +Hence "LOVE YOUR JOB BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY" |
| + |
| +Have a great day ahead!! |