HUMANIZING PROFESSIONALISM – 04

Once you start looking for it, you will be amazed to find Humanizing can come very easily at work places, homes and public spaces. This is because being human is genetically wired in all individuals and most inhuman acts result from learned inappropriate behavior.

Most of us would have watched Kapil Sharma’s shows on Sony. Kapil built ratings of his program by embarrassing his guests, live audiences and his team associates. When the treasured artists of the show quit recently, ratings dipped; not because the shows thereafter were any less in the content, but because many people thought Kapil was being inhuman off the screen too. In a recent show Kapil was quizzed if some artists’ leaving caused any difficulty, he said, we all are still friends. And very deftly, as if to reverse the trend, the show has begun to tease Kapil Sharma in every show by referring to his altercation with Sunil Grover during that fateful flight. And I think audiences like this because they see ‘a tit for tat’ happening; another human trait common among children and still nursed by many adults. 

So, a clever scripting by Kapil’s team is ensuring resurgent human response that gets reflected in ratings. And of course, there isn’t any rocket science at work there. One of the elementary psychology tactics of ‘Stimulus – Response’ is at work. You will know from your communication basics about how being polite to a listener helps him understand you better and creates a desired response. And if any time in past you were able to use this tactic effectively then consider yourself fit to be a participant of Humanizing Professionalism which is already making waves among the successful work places.

I’m no expert in psychology yet I like to flip pages of any book on the subject. In one such attempt, I came across a book written by former in-charge of an institution in New York. He asserts in the introduction itself that during his many decades work in that institution he came across more sick staffers than the patients. I think that’s alarming yet helps reinforce the perspective of Humanizing Professionalism. Here are a few more examples.  

Laszlo Bock, an expert on Peoples’ Issues, who worked for firms like McKinsey & Company, General Electric and Google asserts during his early years he felt frustrated because “even the best designed business plans fell apart when people didn’t believe in them – frustrated because leaders always ‘spoke of’ putting people first, and then treated them like replaceable gears.”

Recently I came across a true story of a female employee who asserts that employers pay peanuts and expect employees to dress like rich people would. Her story: Because of marital issues she took separation as exit and got herself transferred to a metro town. There her net salary was around Rs.10,000/- and she had herself and a daughter to feed. Boss found her attire improper for a “Professional Workplace”, if you will. Her boss took her to a dress shop and insisted that she buys a dress worth Rs.4000/- to keep us with Joneses. In the process that employee sank into debt and more complications.

I also came across a Linked-in Post by a startup owner expressing gratitude towards a female employee who had quit her previous job due to some issues and this startup being in rush offered her a job without interview, purely on the basis of her profile. She insisted and came for an interview and was shocked to see poor conditions then prevailing in that start up. Yet, on the basis of discussions with owners and the value of their idea, she offered to join and over last two years has considerably improved the conditions there. Now the employers are expressing their gratitude for “Humanlike Professionalism” demonstrated by that employee.