Sunday, 21 November 2021

The Rat Race

 It is a fact that corporates invest in training. Being in the field of HR, training, and education, I have observed the ups and downs corporates and employees undergo. Pandemic has proved that uncertainty is the norm.

With so much focus on adult learning, what are we doing about Child development?

In India, much focus is on getting into IIT, IIM. If one becomes an engineer or doctor then parents feel that their child’s life is set.

One can see a rising pattern for the past decade that children are groomed from the 8th standard for competitive exams. Where is childhood?

Even if the child wants to do something different, parents’ ambition takes over. Parents say, “No no, there are no career options. Getting a formal degree is important.”

Then the same child struggles later in life with emotional turmoil.

Education is important, but do we conveniently ignore developing the other faculties of mind and becoming a part of the rat race? Of course, if we are bought up in a particular way, it becomes a challenge to do out-of-the-box thinking.

Do we as adults develop our skills (other than professional skills)? Do we invest in pursuing our interests’ hobbies?

Three important things every child must enroll, studies should be secondary. Creating a culture of learning is important.

Sports – Children must be a part of some or other sports. This creates a sense of discipline and activity in the brain of a child.

Art – Drawing or painting. Please note that this helps a long way in developing the creative faculty of the brain.

Music – Singing or playing an instrument. This opens avenues to the world of freedom.

The above three are vital to developing focus. Which we now call mindfulness. Studies done without the above three will have their limitations.

We need to gauge. Do we want our children to be a part of the rat race?

 

With Gratitude

Dr. Sonali Wagle

Tuesday, 14 September 2021

The Recruiter’s Bias

Whether we like it or not, we all have biases and preferences. Plenty is written in Management theories on this topic.

The problem comes when our biases come in between hiring talent for our company. Especially such talent that may question our work and our inflated ego.

The question is, are we brave enough to admit? – ‘Yes, I am biased’.

I surveyed to check the reasons behind such biases. It was interesting to see that majority admitted that they have their ego precedes the talent when they recruit. People (CXO/VP/ Department heads/ Executives) from various departments, provided the following answers. 

1.       Profit: Do not know how to calculate the profit of a person’s hire. 
2       Insecurity: My insecurities
3.       Role: My role may become redundant
4.       Comfort: My comfort to hire a person
5.       Ignorance: Am I biased?
6.       Risk: I do not want to risk my job.
7.       Data: Hire on perception rather than facts
8.       Thinking: Conditioning.
9.       Policy: Company policy.
10.   Competition: Interested in competition rather than talent.
11.   Challenge: Do not want to challenge the recruitment practices.
12.   Reference: Hire based on references.
13.   Skills: Do not know how to calculate the value of the talent of a person.
14.   Preferences: Give more importance to the academic performance rather than what the person may know.
15.   Stereotype: Gender plays an important role while hiring.
16.   Ethical dilemma: There is a dilemma to put my role first or the company’s need.

 The question remains to be answered – Am I biased while recruiting? 

With Gratitude

Dr. Sonali Wagle

Monday, 12 July 2021

Mindfulness: Does it work?

 

A client called to check on the mindfulness programs for the leadership team. Having done a few programs for done, I was aware of their company culture. He asked me if these mindfulness programs work or are they kind of a fad. Following is the snippet of our conversation.

Me: What makes you think that mindfulness is a fad?

Client: Wherever I go, I hear people talk about it- be it conferences or boardrooms or meetings.

Me: If you believe, it is a fad, it is. If you don’t believe it is a fad, and know how to make use of mindfulness, it works wonders.

Client: How does it benefit me?

Me: The benefits outweigh far more than you can imagine. Mindfulness covers all aspects of professional and personal life. It improves decision-making, risk-taking ability, productivity, effectiveness, sales, customer management. It also helps to develop empathy, sensitive to customer needs, and understand employees.

Client: How does mindfulness work.

Me: Gaining mindfulness expertise has two aspects: 1. Theoretical, that includes the process and the tools. 2. Functional, which includes the mindfulness process putting into practice.

Client: Looks complex.

Me: Everything at the first looks complex. Once we know how it works, it is an easy thing to do.

Client: Is it expensive?

Me: It is an investment. Remember, it is your mind that you use. And your mind stays with you. So, kind of it is free. Your mind is free to use or you are free to use your mind.

At  first, using mindfulness may take time, later it becomes a part and parcel of your life. It becomes easy provided you know how to use it and make it work. You have to be open. This pandemic has made open the work from home culture. Corporates are embracing it like never before. Earlier people would not have believed that work from home culture could work. Companies are changing the way systems and processes work. The same goes with mindfulness. So be mindful.

 

 

 

Monday, 31 May 2021

Qualifications and Certifications, does it matter?

 At one point, I did dream of getting a Nobel prize in physics. I am always in awe of Nobel prize winners. I have followed them year after year. Nevertheless, I didn’t do much in physics. Having won numerous other awards and educational qualifications, I realized a few things ten years back.

1.    I was getting qualifications year after year. Many of which I didn’t even bother to mention.

2.    I was wearing a mask. A mask to prove myself to people/ colleagues/ clients/ bosses. Instead of being happy within, my energy, efforts went into making them happy.

3.    Making others happy came at a cost. A cost of frustration, jealousy, resentment, anger, guilt, blame, worry and tension.

4.    I was getting certifications. Don’t know how earning those, has helped me here in India. I have yet to figure it out. It came to a point where I felt enough is enough-when for a job interview the interviewer asked me, ‘Do you have _____ certification’. He named few certifications. I told him that he had my resume already. I had written all my qualifications, certifications in it. Then if I did not possess the certifications they expected in the candidate, why did they call me and wasted my time. Are they even looking at the qualifications and certifications I have?

I realized that people most of the time point out the things you don’t have rather than what you have. “Oh, you only have these qualifications, you don’t have those qualifications”. Full stop. I realized that I need to refabricate and use the qualifications and certifications I have because no matter what I had there will be a set of people who will demand more.

Being in the OD/ HR/ L&D area and mindfulness coach, my main aim is to make my clients understand that happiness is the key. I work with clients to achieve mindfulness, which in turn will create value in their personal and professional life. It increases productivity, effectiveness, better decision-making, and better risk analysis.

And mind you, being mindful does earn sufficient money and far more, and the way you want to earn it. Being mindful, you do not have to worry about what people think. You know your job and you know for sure that your productivity and efficiency have increased.

So do I have a qualification in Mindfulness? Technically, yes, I do. I have already completed my basic, advance, Abhidhamma (all three levels completed) in Vipassana theory and practice to understand and dive deep into mindfulness. Do I need more certifications? No, what I need is how do I practice the skills I have gained over the years.

 Have your qualifications and certifications helped you and in what way? Why are you earning those in the first place? Qualifications and certifications, do they matter, and to what extent?

 With gratitude

Sonali Wagle

 

Friday, 14 May 2021

Application of the Bhayabherava Sutta in Daily life

 Dealing with Fear and Anxiety.

I presented a paper at the 'Antevāsikānaṃ Pāli Parisā' conference, University of Mumbai.
Title: Application of the Bhayabherava Sutta (discourse) in Daily Life.

We live in uncertain times. Changes are happening at the speed that they become blur before one can know what is happening. Most of us are scared and fearful of the events that have grasped us. One of the challenges that we face is how to handle such uncertainties that lead to fear. The citta (mind) like a pendulum dwells in one of the emotional states – fear, doubt, guilt, anger, and resentment. Out of this fear is the most captured of the emotion. Fear comes in
various facets. Fear of failure, fear of death, fear of losing a loved one, fear of loss, fear to suffer, fear of change, fear of unknown, and fear to face fear.
The Bhayabherava Sutta captures the essence of how to handle fear. It gives a direction on the process to be followed when one is in the fear zone.
To know more about how the Sutta can be applied in daily life to deal with fear and anxiety, do write to me on wagle.sonali@gmail.com

Friday, 7 May 2021

Generosity and Kindness

 

Generosity and kindness examples could be seen today at Mahim, maternity nursing home, vaccination center, Mumbai. The BMC has made fantastic arrangement at the venue.

Outside in the premises, tents are built for people. There were two areas one for senior citizens above 70 years of age and the other age group. Water bottles were provided to all. Another area was made for people to wait for half an hour post the vaccination.

The staff was extraordinary good, polite, courteous. The police were humble. Never in my life have I seen the BMC so well equipped with so much of service a case study to look for.

This gives me the faith in humanity in human existence. Being a mindfulness practitioner, this is a classic case of the mindfulness shown by the entire BMC staff and Mumbai police.

With gratitude

Sonali Wagle


Tuesday, 30 June 2020

Does it matter in 2040?


It is 2040, and today I reflect the year 2020. Oh! my what a year it was, so many shocks. Covid19 pandemic shook the entire world. Hopefully, many of us came to our senses.
I still remember, people were fussing over many things then
  • Not getting parmesan or cheddar cheese on pizza.
  • How can I use red chili instead of green chili for the curry? (What difference does it make).
  • I just cannot eat bland food. (Who cares?)
  • Why that delivery boy has yet not delivered on time. (They are humans too).
  • I have not seen a movie in three months. (Good you saved your/ parents/ spouse/ children’s hard-earned money).
  • When will the school start? (Online learning was available).
  • When will the house helper start coming? (She is suffering the pandemic too).
  • Oh god everyone is at home, now double the work. (You made those choices)
  • So much of household chores (It is your house, or are you doing household chores for others?)
  •  Losing jobs. (So what, didn’t you save for the rainy day).
  • I lost my one full year of academics. My engineering degree was delayed by one full year. (Check my article to be posted by end of July on this topic).
  • Losing some revenue or not making money for a few months.


Do we even remember any such things now, in 2040? Does it matter in 2040?
Today I realize how much hue and cry we make without realizing that such things  may not matter in the future (another article on the topic, ‘so what matters’). The pandemic was just the tip of the iceberg. The way human beings have abused the environment, the future will tell.
So much have we abused nature
  •  Building sky rises
  • Huge houses even for one or two people
  • Not thinking of sustainable development
  • Not thinking of the larger good
  • Harming nature to boost the so-called egos of the people in power
  • Changing technology (mobile/ gadgets) in less then a year or two just because we want to be with the latest technology or for status
  • Big cars only for one person


And all that was in 2020. Look at us, aren’t we still alive in 2040 having gotten over the pandemic. Have we learned something from it or all of it was just for the sake of hue and cry? Who knows what will happen in 2050? Many may argue that what matters is subjective. I do agree. To argue even on that, does it matter?

Do write what matters on contactus@exponentialadvisory.co.in