Fasten your belts and beat the global slowdown
“A crisis is a dangerous wind riding with opportunities,” reads a Chinese proverb. Scores of jobs being axed, U.S. banks filing bankruptcy, plummeted effect in stock markets and economies, dominate the media space day after day. A friend recently remarked fear in reading newspapers or watching television. No doubt, recession and meltdown has had its own impacts but nonetheless they do not signify that ‘All is Over’. Rather than worrying about mindboggling figures on global financial meltdown it does make a sense to look at the lighter part of it notwithstanding the chance to cultivate a culture of optimism and a smarter attitude.
If Ronald Wilson Reagan, former American president said “Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours,” as a part of his electoral campaign, it still holds well in today’s parlance. Just few days back, I happened to see someone so excited about the falling real estate prices and in another context witnessed a group celebrating, because some of their archrivals lost jobs, due to recent developments, in a reality show. When the programme’s anchor asked the reasoning the group proudly claimed that as long as they are not affected nothing really bothers them. True, crises of any magnitude do not have an impact as long as you are unaffected though the joy at the fate of other’s losing jobs is a frenzied feeling.
Some of the employees across sectors stretch beyond themselves to give beyond their best, delivering beyond expectations not taking leaves even in contingencies. They are under the constant fear of walking in a double edged knife. Equally worse are instances where professionals have vowed not to get married in the year 2009 for fear of losing jobs and ultimately lost their girlfriends!. Some others have started taking lessons on managing stress and pay cuts whether or not they are directly impacted by any of them. A measure of caution does make good for any activity that we undertake in life as long as the intention are ‘to be safe rather than sorry’. However these scenarios only advocate unwanted fear.
People who switched jobs for better pastures are taken by a surprise as trends have witnessed downward influences. Job-hopping ones considered as a fashion, are now things of the past. So, whether they cannot go on with a bad boss or with a low pay that is perceived inadequate or a job profile that is least challenging, they have no choice but to stick on to their present employer until there is normalcy. The larger picture looks good for companies, management and it is a fitting lesson to the so called ‘active job hunters’. The only bitter contention is that this has come up to them in the hard way. The moral is to “Be good even when times are good so that you don’t have to be extra good when times are bad”.
Not many would have forgotten the story of a church priest, who went on to become a rich businessman after he was asked to resign for not being a graduate or the story of the multi-millionaire, who acquired larger fortunes than Bill Gates after being denied an employment for not knowing to know how to send the E-mails. The protagonists in both cases saw opportunities behind the adversities and not the adversities itself. An advertisement in a popular Financial Daily, which calls for entries for their business fest, envisages the fact that this is the ideal time for new entrepreneurships, owing to the cheap input costs in terms of the four factors of production, land, labor, raw materials and capital.
Job-losses have increased the number of enrollments in postgraduate management courses and other academic programmes. It is really a good trend to observe considering the fact that, not many employed people usually have the conviction to learn and plan a lateral career development. Now that they are forced to do, the actions are only bound to get better as people will be looking at enhancing careers and not just as an alternative engagement in place of mainstream employment.
‘One man’s meat is the poison of the other man,’ aptly applies now as small and mid-sized companies have cashed on to recruit valuable resources who have been handed pink-slips by biggies at a much lower and affordable cost. Similarly, this trend has also explored several opportunities for certain businesses or professions that were so far not very popular. For instance, Counselors are in much demand and the services of NGO’s providing them are much sought out for.
All said and done it would not be possible to paint the whole picture without acknowledging the gloomy aspects. Global meltdown has definitely done more than enough damages. But, what one requires is all the courage to face odds, think beyond the usual and also have an urge to excel no matter the factors or external pressures that come by. The underlying message is clear; “Sharpen your axe day after day,” as mediocrity, underperformance and slack will not be tolerated anymore.
M.D.S.PRABU
If Ronald Wilson Reagan, former American president said “Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours,” as a part of his electoral campaign, it still holds well in today’s parlance. Just few days back, I happened to see someone so excited about the falling real estate prices and in another context witnessed a group celebrating, because some of their archrivals lost jobs, due to recent developments, in a reality show. When the programme’s anchor asked the reasoning the group proudly claimed that as long as they are not affected nothing really bothers them. True, crises of any magnitude do not have an impact as long as you are unaffected though the joy at the fate of other’s losing jobs is a frenzied feeling.
Some of the employees across sectors stretch beyond themselves to give beyond their best, delivering beyond expectations not taking leaves even in contingencies. They are under the constant fear of walking in a double edged knife. Equally worse are instances where professionals have vowed not to get married in the year 2009 for fear of losing jobs and ultimately lost their girlfriends!. Some others have started taking lessons on managing stress and pay cuts whether or not they are directly impacted by any of them. A measure of caution does make good for any activity that we undertake in life as long as the intention are ‘to be safe rather than sorry’. However these scenarios only advocate unwanted fear.
People who switched jobs for better pastures are taken by a surprise as trends have witnessed downward influences. Job-hopping ones considered as a fashion, are now things of the past. So, whether they cannot go on with a bad boss or with a low pay that is perceived inadequate or a job profile that is least challenging, they have no choice but to stick on to their present employer until there is normalcy. The larger picture looks good for companies, management and it is a fitting lesson to the so called ‘active job hunters’. The only bitter contention is that this has come up to them in the hard way. The moral is to “Be good even when times are good so that you don’t have to be extra good when times are bad”.
Not many would have forgotten the story of a church priest, who went on to become a rich businessman after he was asked to resign for not being a graduate or the story of the multi-millionaire, who acquired larger fortunes than Bill Gates after being denied an employment for not knowing to know how to send the E-mails. The protagonists in both cases saw opportunities behind the adversities and not the adversities itself. An advertisement in a popular Financial Daily, which calls for entries for their business fest, envisages the fact that this is the ideal time for new entrepreneurships, owing to the cheap input costs in terms of the four factors of production, land, labor, raw materials and capital.
Job-losses have increased the number of enrollments in postgraduate management courses and other academic programmes. It is really a good trend to observe considering the fact that, not many employed people usually have the conviction to learn and plan a lateral career development. Now that they are forced to do, the actions are only bound to get better as people will be looking at enhancing careers and not just as an alternative engagement in place of mainstream employment.
‘One man’s meat is the poison of the other man,’ aptly applies now as small and mid-sized companies have cashed on to recruit valuable resources who have been handed pink-slips by biggies at a much lower and affordable cost. Similarly, this trend has also explored several opportunities for certain businesses or professions that were so far not very popular. For instance, Counselors are in much demand and the services of NGO’s providing them are much sought out for.
All said and done it would not be possible to paint the whole picture without acknowledging the gloomy aspects. Global meltdown has definitely done more than enough damages. But, what one requires is all the courage to face odds, think beyond the usual and also have an urge to excel no matter the factors or external pressures that come by. The underlying message is clear; “Sharpen your axe day after day,” as mediocrity, underperformance and slack will not be tolerated anymore.
M.D.S.PRABU
posted by M.D.S.PRABU at 11:07 PM
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