Dear blog,
Its been a very very long time since I wrote something on my wall. Trials and tribulations; tears and fears that's what sums up my experience in the last few years.
The 15+ years of work experience has taught me the two biggest lessons that I shan't forget in a hurry.
Lesson 1: Never stick your head out for a team that doesn't want to stick theirs.
Here I was a project lead in this Indian manufacturing major. I was pained by the wrongs on my team, I battled with the management against all odds, only later to discover one of them was taking me for a ride, while another used my shoulder to put across her point.
The result was that I ended up antagonizing the hierarchy while getting nothing in return. Lost travel opportunities, billing issues, backbiting were some of the consequences of standing up for my team with nothing in return from them.
Lesson 2: Never work hard in a place where there is no recognition for talent
I left the job to join a Singapore-based startup. I had 10-12 member team reporting to me. I worked assiduously, with little care for the long hours that I put in. Keeping my family and friends away even on weekends to work on proposals, RFPs, and even proof of concepts. Process documentation, SME interaction, scripting the content - yes - I did it all.
But it was soon clear that the family-friends-run business needed a sycophant not a leader. They didn't need a person with vision but an individual who would rat on the team.
They wanted a person who would act as 'The Eyes and Ears' (read spy) for the Management, a view which I didn't subscribe to. The 8 months there was hell made worse by an incompetent management with no professional values. My key takeaway - recognise the place and work accordingly.
Bye for now.
More later perhaps
No comments:
Post a Comment