When a student pursues his academics well, is hard-working and is getting good grades, then, everyone appreciates him or her. Then, even the friends will give all the recognition, parents will feel very proud of and relatives also openly appreciate and admire you for your discipline, hard-work and intelligence. Till a student completes his academics, he is recognized and appreciated for his discipline, hard-work and intelligence. Same applies even for the students pursuing professional courses like CA and CS though it is normally felt in the towns and villages that anyone can pursue a CA course, but, very few completes it or can complete it.
But, when you complete your formal education and works in some organization, then, your own hardworking ability and intelligence can become a very big handicap for you. You may at-times wonder as to what is wrong with you. You may see many of your colleagues doing nothing or being casual in office, but, with no focus or admonishment as such from your boss. On the contrary, even when you are disciplined, hard-working and intelligent, your boss may keep all the focus on you, may pressure you more and may track all your activities. The logic is simple. Your boss can not bring all the ability and intelligence suddenly in all your colleagues; and if you are intelligent and hardworking, he will keep all the focus on you. Your boss may not be worried as to what your colleagues in the organization are doing and he may not be worried as such even if they choose to leave the organization as replacement is easy and as they are not special. But, if you are special, it would be very difficult for your boss to replace you if you leave the organization.
Managements or managers will implement a logical and known strategy of ‘keeping good people busy always’ and so that, they won’t find time to think about other things including the issues of further development. Like-wise, while it is all good to be noted as hard-working, intelligent and disciplined when you are a student, these qualities can harass you and can become a handicap if you do not know as to how to move ahead even when your qualities gets exposed so easily. In-fact, handling this situation determines the success and failure of many in their life. If you do not know as to how to handle this situation, then, your life can be miserable even with all the good qualities and intelligence. There is no problem for the privileged even when they are exposed as hard-working and intelligent as they are not dependant on the employment, but, it is certainly a problem for the people who are not so privileged and still wants to come-up in life. If you are too intelligent and academic, you may even tend to question your boss on certain issues or may disagree with the opinion of your boss on issues, and it will not be good always and its very rare to see people appreciating others irrespective of their age and experience. Along with your boss, if you are intelligent and recognized as such, then, your colleagues will play politics indirectly; they laugh at you and tries to maintain good relations always.
So, it is important to be disciplined, hard-working and intelligent; and at the same time, you should know as to how to handle the people and move in a particular environment. If you fail to know this tact early, then, it can even hamper your success and can bring all miseries to you instead of all happiness. A student is not normally taught all these issues with due emphasis and stress, but, knowing organizational issues and politics is very important for every young professional. There is no problem with hard-work, discipline and intelligence irrespective of small people being egoistic and jealous. Hard-work makes you more efficient and experienced. Discipline and intelligence always keeps you moving towards furthering your knowledge and development.
Apart from being good in academics, being disciplined and focused; a student should know as to how to move with the people in the organization. It's very important for young professionals. Thus, a good student will be happy always, but, a good employee may not be happy. If you are a very good employee when you work for an organization immediate to completing your studies, instead of rewards, you may be facing all miseries. Exposing your intelligence in the organization can help you at times if your boss is understandable. Your boss can make you as a partner in his organization and it can only happen when your boss feels that you are hard-working, disciplined and also intelligent. But, it is not always the case.
There is always one advantage for the hard-working and intelligent people. If you are hard-working and intelligent, you can be recognized anywhere and survival never becomes a problem; and you are not dependant on anyone or organization. But, if you fail to correct your mistakes and fail to understand as to how to handle people in the organization and also the society when you are growing, then, your hard-working ability and intelligence may mean nothing and may not lead to proportionate development. As such, students and young professionals should also learn about management and as to how to handle organizational politics. This normally may come with experience, but, if you are quick enough to understand and note these issues, then, valuable time can be saved and you can feel relaxed all the time. If you do not learn this early, then, you will be facing all the pressure in the organization in-spite of the fact that you do all the work in the office or you do the substantial work for the same remuneration to that of your colleges. Pressure is at-times good and needed, but, too much pressure can make your life miserable.
Everyone faces this problem. Even Dr.Abdul Kalam has faced these problems and he has narrated many-things in his book ‘Wings of Fire’. Many highly successful people spoke about organizational politics and students and young professionals should take advantage of the experience exposed by great people like Dr.Abdul Kalam, Lee Iacocca and many others. Those books can teach you a lot about life and success secrets. That’s why, along with academic books, it is very important for students and also young professionals to read good ‘auto-biographies’ of successful people. After reading those books with all the involvement and interest, you can end-up being very experienced through imagination though you are actually not experienced. Successful people presenting their life in a detailed and attractive way through their writings are a great service to the society and the future generations. Very few possess this great talent of writing. Some great people may be very good at writing and some may be very good in explaining things orally or may be a great speaker. For example, you may not like the biography of Barrack Obama like ‘Dreams from my father’, but, you may like his motivational speeches given to the School Children etc. Some are effective in writing and also oral presentation like Dr.Abdul Kalam. Every student pursuing professional course like CA, CS and pursues technical education should select few autobiographic books of great and successful people and should read the book and interesting chapters again and again. Reading good books and knowing about great people and appreciating greatness are a very good quality, every student or a professional should possess.
Dr.Abdul Kalam was also hard-working wherever he has worked, Lee Iacocca was also hard-working, but, they also have faced lot of problems with organizational politics and with the people. Even if you are good, if you do not know as to how to handle people in the organization, you may end-up being a big failure in life.
Young and hard-working people coming from villages and small-towns with no tangible financial and other support behind him or her, may end-up facing all the problems in the organization if they do not know as to how to move with the people in the organization and as to how to come-up in the professional ladder facing all the politics and unwanted concentration and bullying. Just to discourage you or insult you, there can be a very small person who tries to laugh at you unnecessarily and can bully you. You should learn to ignore these people.
It is not enough for you to be academically good and being hard-working, you should also be good at handling people and facing all the silly organizational politics. It determines the success and failure of people. If you do not learn these things quickly, then, it can delay your progress and can be a failure in life by your own standards.
I have put the title for this small brief like ‘Your intelligence can be a handicap’ only because, normally people tend to link academic intelligence to one’s intelligence. But, if someone is not sound academically or technically, even then, he can be highly successful in life with his management skills. There can be Chartered Accountants and other professionals who are not technically or academically sound, but, very successful because of their marketing and management ability.
So, students about to enter professional life should also understand organizational politics and few societal realities. It will help you to face life with much ease.
Some may possess all qualities of management at a very early age also along with being good at academics and these people can see success so early in life.
But, young people with high aims and with no privileged background should know as to how to manage their time, handle people and face the situation in any organization.
It's also true that you may come to know exceptional people who can encourage you and help you grow. But, it's always good to be prepared to face any situation in life and you should accordingly be prepared.
It is advisable to read books like ‘Wings of Fire’ written by Dr.Abdul Kalam many-times and try to understand what he has conveyed in the Book. There are many autographical books like ‘Wings of Fire’ and youngsters should have a good collection of auto-biographies and if you read those books, you can get success so early in life and you can be experienced without actual experience. You can also note that many successful people talk about other great people and books; from whom and which they have inspired or learned things.
Students and hard-working young professionals should learn to ignore people with very small thinking and heart; and these people will always try to insult or humiliate you for no reason. This society may be full of this kind of people and you should know as to how to ignore them. You should be able to defeat all these people and defeat the problems; and become successful.
Wishing students and young professionals - all the great success.
Note: the views expressed are my personal and I may be wrong in my views.
Author:
V.DURGA RAO, Advocate, Madras High Court.
Email: vdrao_attorney@yahoo.co.in
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