Inter Personal Skills

A brief Prologue: (28th March, 2010….) It is with a bit of hesitation, that I decided to proceed with posting this blog. The only inspiration came from the hero of the English Movie “Independence Day” wherein, he took the precious hint when his father commented “You will catch a cold”. He realized that a virus that causes cold temporarily incapacitates a person. The brief time is enough to make a dent into the adversary’s defense system. Perhaps, I could at least be that innocent commentor, to inspire the young world of Hi-tech-techies, with impregnable fortresses of management-technology-jargons! Otherwise, I feel quite incompetent at this.(End of prologue)

I do not get to hear this term too often. But I did come to know of this, right in my early school days. That is what makes me wonder. How that simple school teacher who barely managed with very paltry salary, and stuck to the job for the sheer love of teaching could make a mention of this wonderful enriching concept, to the tiny tender buds that we were, then!! All that I could manage to grasp is that this skill had to do a lot with some kind of ‘all-round, all-inclusive, all-encompassing’ abilities.

These business schools must be focusing a lot on this concept. But in the outside, where also this is quite relevant, there is only an obscure mention. It does not attract any elaboration even.

Recently I read about the huge accumulating losses made by India’s National Carrier, Air India. I was wondering if it had been left in the hands of the legendary “JRD”, this situation would not have arisen. He was a ‘techie’ at aviation skills. He was cost conscious. He was consumer conscious. And the best part of it is that, all of the Tatas were Human Resource conscious. Recently Shri Ratan Tata touched heights of humility when he very simply put it that when he employed the staff, he did not ‘bargain’ for the Taj Hotel Staff to risk their very lives when they responded beyond the call of duty, and saved many people during the tragic attack on 26/11, and that the least he could do was to keep paying their regular salary, though the Hotel was unable to function till restoration work was completed(The body language of the staff who came on media, looked quite unassuming about the effortless ease with which they risked their lives, as if saying quietly “Oh! That is quite normal being a ‘TATA’ staff”!) Shri Jamshetji continues to shower his blessings on the descendants and the staff, without discriminating (A true TATA family in every sense)! I even remember the whispered old stories when our Political goons could not tolerate smooth relations at TATA Steel, where the Union Leader was equally popular with workers and management, and to create a dent in such a large work force, a foul means of ‘eliminating’ the leader had to be undertaken! My idea is not to initiate a debate about the validity of these stories. But, to access an example, which seems reasonable tangible, to have a glimpse of that unique combination of three major heads of abstract concepts. It is good enough to accept the incidents as hypothetical or at ‘fictional’ levels, though personally I would need to make a lot of compromise within myself for that.

1. Technical skills that in turn inspires creativity in the team.
2. Managerial skills that in turn churn out productivity, cost effectiveness and insulate or insure against possible obsolescence of the very business!
3. Human Relations skills, which invoke the highest levels of ‘Human’ Resources.

Unless an individual happens to strike a balance of these three, there would be stagnation at any level (individual-career-level, organizational growth level, or even that particular trade/industry level. We have seen examples in the famous lecture ‘Have breakfast, or be breakfast’!)

For those mystic beings, these skills are quite incidental by-products of the arduous trek on spiritual path, as I too could have a glimpse, fortunately!
Psn(24th March, 2010)