Knowledge workers

So, who is a knowledge worker? And why is he is so important in today's world?

Knowledge workers are generally professionals such as teachers, lawyers, architects, physicians, nurses, engineers, and scientists. Peter Drucker, my favorite management guru first coined the word.

Knowledge workers are not subordinates; they are ‘associates.’ Beyond the apprentice stage, knowledge workers must know more about their job than their boss does—or else they are no good at all.
In fact, that they know more about their job than anybody else in the organization is part of the definition of knowledge workers.

Management though he argues should: make people capable of joint performance through common goals, common values, the right structure, and the training and development they need to perform and to respond
to change.

Authentic leadership

I have been reading a lot of authentic leadership and authentic living in general. I've picked up a lot from Kevin Cashman - Leadership from the inside out. It is a fantastic read, a book for life and is something that I will keep going back to again and again.

Will write lot more about this and my struggles and fight with authenticity. But for now, here is something that keeps me going...

“Sure I am this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.” - Winsten Churchill

Gratitude and Indebtedness

Does too much gratitude lead to indebtedness? Of course, both arise after you receive something from someone. Gratitude is less stronger an emotion than indebtedness. The reason I give importance to this topic is that I have fallen trap to this in the past and I am very conscious about not letting too much gratitude evolve into indebtedness.

My experiments with this topic started eons ago when I declined a gift from a friend. Probably a bad idea, but hey that's why I've called it an experiment!

Gratitude also has finite life time and decreases over time. People receiving the benefit apparently make some (ir)rational arguments in their minds and forget to acknowledge the transaction. Hence the receiver and giver are in different states after such a transaction. It is best to acknowledge it and get on as soon as possible. Question though is: Would that nullify things and bring the receiver and the giver back to the same state?

Answer: ... It depends :)

Keirsey type

I took the keirsey test today and my type is ENFP. This is different from my MBTI results which said I was an ESFP. Atleast the EF & P is common between the two!

Apparently, keirsey test takes a long term view of your personality while MBTI is biased towards how you would like to be perceived.

Anyway, I'm a little busy now trying to de-crypt my keirsey type by reading... "Please understand me"!

Self drawn boundaries

Read a great story about boundaries that we draw for ourselves and continue to live in it just because we are accustomed to living inside. It isn't something new, but the story resonated with me because I believe today I cracked one such boundary in my life. A boundary that when extended gives me enough space to express my values and beliefs. I should have re-drawn this eons ago, but I guess my focus was else where. Better late than never they say, but I am so glad I did!

I hope I've made it clear and vague enough at the same time. That was intentional! Anyway, here is the story...

Once upon a time, a fierce forest tiger caused a village to live in terror. It ate livestock at will, and even killed several children and adults. The villagers hired a hunter, and trapped the tiger. Respecting life, they built a stout bamboo cage for him in the center of the village. 

      For many years, the tiger slept, and paced endlessly around the cage. The grandchildren of the original villagers finally said - our tiger is old and toothless. We should let him return to his forest to die in peace. They dismantled the cage, and all gathered to see their old friend set free.

      The tiger was bewildered. He looked around at the strange bar-less scene, and at the nearby forest. Then he resumed pacing his measured square, walking the boundaries of the cage that was no longer there. 

Tweet tweet

First things first, I missed you my dear blog. Wish I had kept in constant touch! Never mind, lets restart, it is never too late to reconnect is it?

I wrote emails to about 4-5 people today. I'm definitely not the kind of person who is people-averse or friends-averse. But some how, I don't seem to write emails often and don't seem to connect often. Today, I decided it was high time I addressed it and wrote to people I think about pretty often. Good job, I like it!

Moving on, I'm not very active on FB these days. Bored of commenting, liking and following status updates of people. I do login once in a while, but don't use it much to keep in touch. I created an account on twitter, re-activated it rather after about 5-6 years.Wondering if I should be more active on twitter instead. 140 words to express my thoughts and keep contact with the outer world? Not sure, don't want it to become another site where contact is more obligation than genuine talk. So, question of the day... to tweet or not to tweet?

Answer: No, for now, just go get some sleep :)

TQM story...

Read a funny story related to TQM today. I don't about you, but I burst out laughing when I read such things. Don't know if it's a fact or a myth, it's a good one either way.

A company once ordered a batch of components from a Japanese manufacturer and specified that the batch should have an acceptable quality level of three defective parts per thousand. The parts were dispatched by the Japanese company along with a letter. The letter said something like this...

We found it extremely hard to believe that the customer would request for defective parts as well as good ones, but indeed we have managed to produce them all. These three defective parts have been manufactured and packaged separately for the convenience of the customer!