The book “Peoplonomics” by Vijay Sokhi tries to bring forward the way in which people and organisation play a critical role in each other’s success.
In a very crystalline way, the book defines that only 4 types of people exist in any place of work; one of which ought to be you.
The book in a thought-provoking manner also tries to convey that values and principles will always remain an integral part of progress and prosperity, both for the individual and the organisation.
Read an excerpt from the book below.
The box that is there in our head has been silent and shapeless. Therefore, even though it was within us since time immemorial, we never realised it existed. It was essential to give this box a shape, because if we did not, then our ever-sceptical minds would refuse to accept it. The fact about this box is that it’s crystal clear and has only two components. The whole world can be locked into this. Each person in the working class occupies one side of the box. It gives the real perspective of why they are behaving in a particular way. According to me, anyone working at any position, in any location and in any organisation can relate himself to it. It also answers many questions that most of us have been looking for.
There are people who have spent decades in organisations and worked with dedication but never rise in their life. Despite being obedient, they remain confined to a level. They have done as asked and delivered more than required, but still struggle. They are the ones who work round the clock and on holidays so that the organisation gets more. If this is the commitment they have given, why they have never grown beyond a level?
There is a young person who is highly educated, but instead of looking equally at everyone, he looks down at people who are below him. He is the one who has got the distinction in academics and knows everything by the book. He does not appreciate a discussion and wants orders to be followed. He does not have people working with him. He has people working under him.
There are many experienced people who have immense knowledge about how the process has to be applied but are unable to shine in the way they should. Whenever the organisation faces an operational challenge, they seek their help. They are known to get difficult situations resolved, but they are never called an expert. Shouldn’t we call experienced people as experts? If yes, then why, after a point of time, does an experienced person become a liability to the organisation that is looking for means to get rid of him?
There are some people who, even after being recipient of awards and rewards for their achievement, are unaffected by it. They have everything that an individual desires but remain humble. They are not bothered by what people have to say to them; instead, they are focused on doing what they think is right. They are ready to offer a helping hand to anyone at any time. Being unconditional is their way of life.
Some have given all the power in the hands of the organisation. They have nothing of themselves. Working for organisations that never expel people is the mission of their life. They will work and retire in such an organisation. Treat them in whichever way you want, but the only thing that can separate them is death.
For the remaining, the organisation brings meaning to their lives. They have given the authority to decide who they are to the designation that the organisation provides them. They are hooked to the visiting cards. It has gone so deep that the moment we take away the visiting cards, they lose their identity. There are many who, even after ages of working, have failed to make a name for themselves. Some, who think that the organisation is getting the growth because of them, make a move to the next and then face the bitter truth.
He always thought that it was not the organisation but he who was responsible for whatever the organisation achieved. So, he moved to a new one to replicate success. This organisation, unlike the previous, was in the process of establishing itself. It was only after he joined that he realized the effect that an organisation has on a person’s life. His visiting card was no more doing the talking. Even clients who knew him previously refused to meet him. In the last organisation, he used to walk through all of them and close business deals. Success that was following him was gone. Why? Because what he thought was his success was not his at all; it was the organisation that was responsible for his success.
Some people never realise that it is not they who are successful, but it is the organisation that they work for that brings success to them. So much importance is given to the name of the organisation that when it is not there, the people who have been overachievers become just another person.
Pride is also linked to the organisation that people work. People who work for large organisations demand more respect than the others who are working for a small one. It goes so deep into the veins that we start associating the respect that we get from our friends and family to the organisation that we work for. Whether we deserve respect or not, just because our name is associated with an organisation of repute, we want it.
Most cannot get out of the circle of security. It is so engraved into them that any decision that they take is based on the existence of the circle of security. What is the circle of security? It is an imaginary circle that your mind creates and confines you within it. It is a trap that most people fail to recognise. It comes in a camouflage of benefits, such as health coverage, life insurance, retirement benefits, fringe benefits, yearly increments, etc. In a large organisation, there is a sublime feeling of social status. Besides, there is another thing to which people get addicted—on-time pay-outs. All these collectively encircle you, and if you attempt to move out, it creates a feeling of unprecedented fear in you.
There are people who move out, but in taking this decision, the circle of security is playing at the back of their mind. They take action only if they visualise the circle of security in the new place of work. If it is not there, they will never risk it. However, there are times when, despite having all the calculations correct, we falter. When what the organisation has promised is not offered, we tend to negotiate with ourselves. Then we start moulding our expectations according to what is available. The new circle of security may not give us all, but if it fulfils our primary requirement, we enter into it. We do this because from the time we have gained our senses, the system has been continuously feeding us to work within securities, and even if there are few of them, we endeavour to seek it. Almost everyone has adjusted with it, and what follows next is the law of acceptance—agreeing to whatever is asked.
The only good thing that the circle of security does is that it takes us to the comfort zone. What is a comfort zone? It is a zone that our mind creates, which gives us a personal space. It gives us the self-assurance that life is set.
Certain books of thought suggest that one must do away with this zone because it makes us lazy and lethargic. We get so attached to the comfort zone that we forget that the situation may change. When this happens, the reason for our downfall becomes the comfort zone. Is it so? Or do we need a little change in our views?
Excerpted with permission from Peoplonomics, Vijay Sokhi, Locksley Hall Publishing. Read more about the book and buy it here.
