Attitude is contagious

Although I have completed my MBA from a well-reputed school and am currently applying for work in different parts of the world, I have already experienced a plethora of emotions – frustration for not getting the role(s) I am gunning for, happiness for being with the family for an extended period, disappointment for not being able to leverage my people network well enough, satisfaction for experiencing a noticeable change in my pre and post-MBA thinking. When I think about these emotions, I realize that it’s all about choice, when it comes to the attitude I wish to wear. The attitude I wear not only impacts my actions that immediately follow but significantly impacts the behavior of the people around me as well.

Tomorrow, when in a leadership position, I will be wearing one or more of these attitudes in an environment where the margin for error will be much lower than what it is now. This is where choice will become critical, as it will impact not only my behavior but influence the behavior of the people around me. Everyone is in a leadership position in at least one point in his/her life, whether it’s as a father, mother, boss, an elder sibling, a respected confidant or a valued sounding board.

I strongly believe in the self-hypothesised ‘choice theory,’ that one always has at least two ways to react to a situation. In more occasions than not, the most sane option is the hardest one to pursue, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles.

From the various conversations I have been fortunate to have with people from the world-over, I have learnt that deep-seated desires are really powerful in terms of developing or moulding one’s attitude. People who strongly pursue their aspirations/dreams end up with being very content for having given it a good shot, or shots. Here, the result(s) really does (do) not matter as the person ends up learning and convincing him/herself that the option(s) has (have) been tried and tested and will or will not work.

The gist of it is that one always has a choice when one come across  a situation. Following deep-seated desires in some way, shape or form will not only instill positivity and confidence but end up teaching you something about yourself. I too am giving it a shot and every small step makes me want to take the next.

Economic ‘Typo’ Times

I have been reading ET (India) pretty regularly, ever since it was dropped outside my B-school dorm entrance on a daily basis. I found the newspaper very well laid out and insightful, to say the least. Articles were consistently well written and ads were consistently non-intrusive. Another consistent element, though, was the ‘typos.’ I thought a mistake here and there once in a while was acceptable but I have been seeing spelling mistakes and grammatical errors on a consistent basis.

In comparison, I also read the WSJ when I was in B-school in Spain. I wouldn’t say that the articles were any less/more interesting but I never came across spelling mistakes or typos. In addition to its very structured look, with articles evenly organized in columns and the use of graphs and trends, the absence of spelling/grammatical errors gave it a very professional feel.

Having said that, despite the errors, I am more drawn to the Economic Times here in India. I am not sure whether it’s because there’s more exciting stuff happening in India (the scams being unearthed in additional to the increasing inflation, interest rates and the ‘consolidation’ happening in multiple industries) or the mere fact that ET’s pale yellow coloured pages make it stand out. It could be a combination of those factors.

It might seem trivial but the language errors do exhibit a lack of professionalism. It could very well be compared to an applicant sending his/her CV or Cover Letter with spelling mistakes to a company of choice. He/she might be the best at what he/she does, but that first impression would be a lasting one (if not the last one).  I do wish that the editing team at ET India put a little more effort into ensuring correct use of language and grammar. It would only help boost ET’s image.

The Dog Downstairs

My dog’s tied up downstairs and I’ve always wondered what goes through a domestic pet’s mind when it is alone at home or/and when it’s tied up with a leash, which come to think of it, is not much longer than itself. I understand that animals might not be as ‘conscious’ as humans (this is what I’ve heard but do not agree with) but they sure must feel restricted, having been allowed to roam around freely for a large part of the day.

Don’t get me wrong – the dog downstairs is very happy and well looked after, and a clear indicator is how he sleeps at night, flat on his back with his legs extended, as if he doesn’t give a damn about the world. He always welcomes the people of the house with a frantically wagging tail and ends up nibbling at someone’s toes or hands, whichever’s closer (he’s teething, you see). When he’s taken for a walk, he understandably shows an enormous amount of excitement on seeing one of his kind. The sad part is that he’s given less than half a minute to familiarize himself with his fellow-canine before he (or the other dog) is pulled away, which always makes him look up and ask, “why?” (or so I feel). That always makes me think what I’d do and how I’d feel if I were in his situation.

Sometimes, when he just looks at me and moans, I really wish I’d know what he’s thinking but we haven’t come out with a way to read a dog’s mind yet, let alone a human’s. I do admire a dog’s conscience though, there never seems to be any ulterior motive. One can really learn how to love unconditionally from them. On top of all that, they’re quick learners. The dog downstairs has learnt to responds to commands like ‘sit,’ ‘down’ and most recently mastered ‘roll,’ although that might have something to do with the fact that each command is followed by a scrumptious dog biscuit.

Coming back to his thought process, I know he has so many unanswered questions in addition to the squeals, nibbles and barks that we have more or less learnt to comprehend. I’ve always wondered what goes through his mind when he watches us dining or sipping our coffees/teas while he’s tied up. He sees us with those innocent eyes and then looks away and doses off, knowing yelping/barking will be futile (it’s been tried and tested). I just hope he understands that when he’s scolded, it’s only for his good.

You’ve got to love the guy though – he always lends an ear even though he might not understand the tongue and he listens to you intently and responds by licking your face, making you feel like you just had the most meaningful conversation. Well, I’m going to go untie him now and I might just have another chat with him.