Whoever thinks being slow is a weakness Has not understood its power
In being able to slow down The propensity to think carefully To pay attention to detail To be mindful & cautious To work with precision Steadiness and thoroughness Increases manifold.
In slowing down, nature teaches Great lessons in letting go Like time cannot be contained Moments are meant to flow It’s own course Yet the strength of the slow Is in the ability to live the now Recognizing the value of life.
There is an art of the slow Where the senses activate And creativity enhances In thinking and reflecting In careful consideration Slow is challenging for some Yet slow can be earnest practice of mindfulness Slow begets a response than reaction Slow can be about building up gradually And exploring the possibilities Of the potential in this now.
Slow can be a deliberation In patience & perseverance With an effortless grace Such is the art of the slow.
One of the common concerns of any scaling team is that while the stakeholders ensure themselves with a great set of leadership and they in turn recruit a battalion of teams under them to do the work, there is one lacuna…the chaos and confusion in the middle management!
The disenchanted middle management scenario is a result of widening gaps in communication and connection between the managers and themselves.
Often, great work done by the team goes without credit, buried under the hierarchy structure and lack of appreciation.
Second, despite ability in the teams and readiness to accomplish good work, there is a lot of confusion about what to do as there is no clarity passed on to them from their managers.
It is clearly indicative of how important it is for the leadership team to share the purpose of why they are doing what they do…and how the message needs to be passed on with the same passion to every member of the teams, no matter the number of layers adding up in the middle.
This is how you reinstate ownership and accountability, which is paramount to the efficiency of the teams.
Unfortunately, much of what is conveyed to the managers from the top in terms of the purpose is typically withheld from teams, for the manager may not personally value the significance of the message for teams reporting to them to understand. It becomes less and less significant in their discussions. And that is where a gamut of internal communications issues show up.
What will you do
When you do not have a purpose
You stop steering…
As there is no winds of motivation to sail your course.
In the case of the middle managers sandwiched in between, they soon have no sense of purpose, they are frequently found working in circles without direction.
They may seem busy doing mundane chores to fill their workdays, and go back home every day a little more disengaged and disconnected with the system.
In my professional career as a Consultant & having been involved in the organizational development up close, I have encountered such scenarios where the value of transparency in teams in their shared work as well as the vision & purpose of the leader is regularly lost in the daily rut of routine. Between filling forms and answering mails, much of the work today has become impersonal.
I believe the role of the middle management is crucial in managing change, for they can bridge the gap between expectations from the strategic objectives and key results set from the top to match with the speed and efficiency of actual day-to-day activities’ integration.
An engaged, informed, and knowledgeable middle management would mean a lot to the stability of a growing organization. It is a huge balancing act between managing to sustain through the changes and managing policies practices and procedures ensuring compliance and come away stronger.
It is important for the key stakeholders to have a conversation that sets clarity on the value for the middle management in the system and expectations from them.
They need to know how much interconnected they actually are in driving changes. They also need to become more self-aware and understand the intricacies of working beyond biases and prejudices that may come along while they understand the power structure of their respective organization.
Beyond good communication skills, they will have to develop their expertise in networking with their seniors as well as their teams.
The responsibility on the middle management is demanding as the role is expanding to include the implementation of changes in the system as well as managing the cultural changes.
This can happen best when the senior management is aware of the challenges faced by the middle management, like time in planning to execution. They can best help fasten this process by direction support and feedbacks while realizing the strategic value of the middle managers.
Every level of management is intrinsically interwoven and important to the whole. In recognizing their individual strengths as well working in the spirit of collaboration, teams begin to evolve.
What do you think of the prevailing practices at work?
Humility is a conscious practice in awareness. Until it becomes a way of life. In knowing that there is always more Than what the eyes can see Or the spirit can do
The soul knows To reach beyond knowing It is important to acknowledge the space To allow learning to take place Humility is dormant When ego is dominant. Humility is patience in waiting A practice of humility In thoughts words & deeds, In listening to understand, In letting go in faith and fortitude, In making way for gratitude In being hopeful in trust In moderation and measure Can unlock the inner potential For humility is full of possibilities.
Uneasy lies the head that wears the Crown Tentacles of power Seeping from within, Surging of the webbed grasp The unnerving truth of rigidity The vicelike grip of conformity The stronghold of absolute authority The merciless and binding royalty. Expectations of undivided loyalty. The Crown bears the burden Often silently withholding expressions.
The choice rests with the wearer of the crown 👑
Yet …
When passion drives the power with a larger purpose beyond self in perseverance and patience
Life and Living soulful stories share that come my way…
John D Rockfeller was once the richest man in the world. The first billionaire in the world. By age 25, he controlled one of the largest oil refineries in the US. By age 31, he had become the world’s largest oil refiner. By age 38, he commanded 90% of the oil refined in the U.S. By 50, he was the richest man in the country. As a young man, every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his personal power and wealth.
But at the age of 53, he became ill. His entire body became racked with pain and he lost all of his hair. In complete agony, the world’s only billionaire could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest soup and crackers. An associate wrote, He could not sleep, would not smile and nothing in life meant anything to him. His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted he would die within a year. That year passed agonizingly slowly.
As he approached death he awoke one morning with the vague realisation of not being able to take any of his wealth with him into the next world. The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in control of his own life. He was left with a choice.
He called his attorneys, accountants, and managers and announced that he wanted to channel his Assets to Hospitals, Research, and Charity work. John D. Rockefeller established his Foundation. This new direction eventually led to the discovery of penicillin, cures for malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria.But perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefeller’s story is that the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had earned, his body’s chemistry was altered so significantly that he got better. It looked as if he would die at 53 but he lived to be 98. Rockefeller learned gratitude and gave back the vast majority of his wealth. Doing so made him whole. It is one thing to be healed. It is another to be made whole.
Before his death, he wrote this in his dairy, “The Supreme Energy taught me, that everything belongs to Him and I am only a channel to comply his wishes.My life has been one long, happy holiday;Full of work and full of play I dropped the worry on the way and God was good to me every day.”
Savvy Raj 
You must be logged in to post a comment.