Monday, October 10, 2011

A Small Story of Appreciation for Managers


Below is the email my hubby forwarded to me, and it applies as much to family as to corporates..its a beautiful story with a very important message, so I am sharing with you all.



A Small Story of Appreciation for Managers

This is a powerful message in our modern society. We seemed to have lost our bearing & our sense of direction.

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "none".

The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.

The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'

The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."

The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager.
I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*

You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.

18 comments:

Amrita said...

That was a touching story indeed. And the message at the end is very apt. This young man was able to actually see and feel what her mother had done for him but others may not be able to do so as the signs are not always visible. But being conscious of how others are contributing to our success and comfort is important not just for our success as managers but also as individuals because this would come into play in not just our professional lives but in all our interactions

Arti said...

...it is because you want to love them in a right way...

Such a wonderful message through such a sweet story, many thanks for sharing :)

Kirtivasan Ganesan said...

You need to know exactly the pain your mother underwent. And by God's grace, if you cry, better will it be. You will be reformed.

But I must add that office is different. In most professions, money earned is directly proportional to hard work put. But in an office you may have to do very little work, maybe one page accounting. How much hard work can you manage here? In office getting along, chamchagiri, politics etc. work.

Bikramjit Singh Mann said...

beautiful story and i hope everyone reads it and knows what it means..

I know i use to get angry at my dad when he would make me work and not get me things It all makes sense NOW

he wanted me to learn

Bikram's

Rachna said...

Such a wonderful story! I am forwarding this to my son. Thank you!

hamaarethoughts.com said...

So true!
such a touching story...I agree with all that you have summed up..Kids if you offer everything in platter they wud never realise worth of hard work and money ..earned by parents!
thanks for sharing
Being a mom truly appreciate this.

Amrit said...

Very good story. The best post I read today :)))

Renu said...

Amrita: bahut din baad dikhe ho:)..thats why I said that it is as important in personal life as in professional one.

Arti: I laways keep repeating in my blog that loving doesnt mean giving only..its judicious giving and judicious withholding.

Kirti: That may be true for some offices, just like because corruption is so much prevalent, but still we cant say that its the only way to life..there is always a right way and we must see that.

Bikram: I read a book..Ultimate gift by Jim Stovall and it has made a big effect on me about what should be taught to children.

Rachna: Thanks:)..Please do so, all children must read it.

Harman: Thanks Harman:)..many parents spoil the lives of children, by pampering them irrationally.

A: Thanks! This is the best compliment I have got so far:)

Rama Ananth said...

I can never forget the struggles of my parents under different circumstances in their lives.
They have not narrated the stories, so that we appreciate them, but just as the kind of things they had gone through, and it has been etched in my mind forever.

deeps said...

Is that really a story?
Well, even if it is a story, it must be inspired by someone’s life experience… it s touching one because we all can relate some shade of it to our lives too…….

sm said...

touching story
with great realistic truthful message.

Insignia said...

That was a touching story. Each of our parents have struggled for us to succeed

Jyothi said...

I have read this email before. I remember it stayed on my mind for weeks after that. Yes, its very important to let the kids help you around the house. It definitely keeps them rooted. Wonderful Post!

Renu said...

rama: and thats what makes you a good person.

deeps:...stories always come out of reality only...but the teachings are very true here.

insignia:why did everyone realised the struggle of parents only..this is about how to parent the children too...

Jyothi: Bringing up the children in a right way is as important as rememebering your parent's struggle.

Happy Kitten said...

That was a touching story... a lesson to parents and children...and managers too..

Every one needs a bit of struggle in their life to achieve success.. it is something like the caterpillar trying to get out of it's cocoon. If an onlooker extends help by opening the cocoon to let the caterpillar out, it may die, since nature has made it's struggle essential for it's survival.

Renu said...

Happy kitten; every one needs to learn the value of hard work and mon ey.

Sandhya said...

Very touching story! Looks like a true story. This happens in many families. Children are over protected and by the time they grow up and start to face the reality of life, they still want to lean on their parents shoulders, which is very wrong.

I am forwarding this to all my relatives, my sons included.

Renu said...

Sandhya: today parenting is to blame for many woes of this time..parents are as much to blame as the youth.

Ajanta Ellora

 Last week we made a trip to Aurangabad. We had a direct flight from here.we stayed in Lemon tree hotel and liked it. It’s totally value for...