Generational Gaps in Viewpoints
September 5th, 2013, posted in Ink On PAPER, PAKiSTAN
There are times when two (or three) generations dont always agree on the same things; be it politics, world issues or family issues. There are many reasons for disagreement, such as one generation will think they know better than the other, and vice versa. The young generation or a middle generation may not have the wisdom or the experience of an older generation but it doesnt mean they are less clued up, are not intelligent enough to formulate an educated opinion or dont watch the news.
We live in a world that has changed from the world it was before. These days, people have more access to information, breaking news and everything that is happening around the world due to technology and social media. Young generation has grown up with information being available at the tip of their fingers and they are in a better position to know more about what is happening around the world. It would be terribly wrong of us to put them down as naive and ill-informed.
While it may not be deliberate on their part, but older generation (and often middle) tend to possess a condescending attitude that cannot see a person younger than them as being right and they, being wrong. However they are teaching the next generation to do the same with the generation after them and it is a very bad example to set. There is also a matter of pride that prevents us from accepting that we could be wrong and from accepting another person having a useful viewpoint. This matter of pride is prevalent in older and middle generations and is copied by younger generation.
The generational gap should not only exist to show noticeable difference in the way we think but should exist to forge bonds between older, middle and younger generations by learning from one another. An older generation can share insights from their own experience, while the younger and middle generations can offer a fresh insight and approach to a problem/viewpoint/issue. We should learn that no one particular generation is “right” but each one of them have opinions that need to be listened to and respected.
I have personally experienced this and each time I am told I don’t know anything, I am left disheartened. I listen to the news, I read wide and I am an educated woman and yet I am made to feel that my opinion holds no value. I have lost confidence in even discussing some issues with people anymore because psychologically I have been made to feel dumb. Attitudes from all generations can only change if we accept, tolerate and nurture different viewpoints and step down from this attitude that we know best.
Perhaps we could start with
” You know what, you could be right but let’s talk further on this, shall we ? “
I read this and thought its worthy to share.
Dos and Donts of Leadership
September 4th, 2013, posted in MESSAGEsI read this and thought its worthy to share…..
Relating from my own work experience, I have come across the good, bad and the ugly sides to leaderships. I have worked with some of the greatest examples of good and worst leaderships and all of this has been valuable in my understanding of what leadership should be all about. In my lifetime so far, I have come across effective managers who suffered from bad attitude towards their staff. I have come across managers who assumed leadership position as a status and not a job. I have also come across weak leaders who discouraged initiative from their staff and palmed off their own duties to them. Aside from the nasties, I have come across great leaderships who not only made work environment pleasant for all; but productive, happy, very successful and highly motivated. They were the ones that nurtured a healthy relationship between leadership and team members.
Aside from work, I have come across people who call themselves leaders in their respective fields and they have given me examples of what good and bad leadership is. Whether you are a world leader in politics, NGO or just enjoying a managerial position in some company, leadership has pretty much the same expectations.
Leadership is like an opium to most people who get so drunk with power that they forget they are dealing with fellow human beings who deserve respect and to be treated right and fairly. It is a matter of realising this and this list attempts to assert this realisation.
Do: Encourage initiative from your team members
Don’t: Be an armchair leader who tells people what to do and then criticise them later for their approach. Lead by example
Do: Lead by example, even if it is emptying the office bins or doing other menial tasks. It wont make you any less of a leader, but rather, gain you respect
Don’t: Think doing menial tasks are beneath your status. A leadership is not about status but about working as a team
Do: Be fair. Adhere to the rules and regulations in the same manner as your team members would do so
Don’t: Think that just because you are the leader, you can break the rules to suit you. This is not being fair to the team or the company you are working for
Do: Unless it is your own company, your name is not above the company door and you are just an employee like the rest of your team. Act like a member of the team, pull your weight around and do your job properly
Don’t: Your team are not your personal servants who should be doing non-work related duties. No, they are not there to fetch your lunch, drycleaning or any other; unless their official job description says so
Do: Listen to your team members and take on board what they say. If they make a suggestion or complain, it is because they trust you as a leader to do something about it
Don’t: Get defensive and consider it as an attack on you and your leadership qualities
Do: Act democratically
Don’t: Be a dictator, because in the end not only will you lose the respect of your team but their support as well
Do: Accept responsibility for own mistakes. It is not a sign of weakness. Admit when things don’t go well and then do not spend time dwelling on mistakes, but rather move forward and get past it
Don’t: Humiliate your team members in public because not only are you degrading your team members but it reflects badly on you as a leader. As a leader you are responsible for discipline and holding your team members accountable for their mistakes, and so therefore the conversation should happen behind closed doors.
Do: Share the credits and successes with your team
Don’t: Brag about your own sole successes
Do: Exude positivity, good energy and be reasonable. Best leaders are those who realise that by staying positive, calm and focused they are creating a better work environment and a happpy productive teamwork, which is in turn better for the business
Don’t: Be rude, inconsiderate and unreasonable.
Do: Act as a strategist with your team members. Show belief in the abilities of your team members and enhance this through encouragement and giving them opportunities to contribute towards the success of a business
Don’t: Consider the abilities of your team members to be a threat to your own position. An excellent leadership recognises talent and abilities, and utilising them properly in an organised fashion
Do: Empower your team and help them achieve their professional goals. Not everybody in the team aspires to stay forever in the same roles and most have dreams to go further in the company
Don’t: Suppress team members by keeping them on the same duties when they are eager to do more
Do: Deal with conflicts and issues within the team with impartiality and resolve it with fairness. Taking one member’s side will only create resentment from others and polarise the team. A leader resolves conflicts with compromise, constructive feedbacks and identifies key problems
Don’t: Ignore conflicts and issues within the team in a hope it will go away on its own or that it isnt your problem. Your team is your responsibility and so whatever happens in your team is your responsibility.
