Marks and Spencer_YW August-2018 Dummy

elationship
48 wellness
Be A Heartful Boss
Modern workplaces are
increasingly becoming important
places of human interaction.
As more and more people start
spending a majority of time in the
workplace, relationships among
colleagues, between boss and
employee, among team members,
is becoming a very important
aspect that can generate either a
sense of togetherness and common
purpose or can degenerate into a
cesspool of negativity, opposition
and controversy. Various
human resources professionals
struggle to keep the workplace
an environment that is healthy,
inviting and conducive for mutual
progress. While a lot of success
has been achieved, tangible and
replicable results are yet to show.
Some workplaces seem better
than others, but mostly driven by
individual initiative and drive, not
by any standard model.
The biggest reason people cite
for leaving an organisation is not
pay, emoluments, environment,
designation or any reason that may
appear most logical from a career
perspective. Most people leave
because they can’t get along with
their boss. This shines the light
on the fact that the boss-reportee
relationship is the most important
in the chain towards making an
office environment productive.
What makes a good boss? Many
supervisors face the dilemma of
either appearing too harsh versus
being too lenient and fear being
taken advantage of. While setting
examples appear to be part of
a 'boss' narrative the important
element that escapes most 'bosses'
is the establishment of common
purpose and mutual trust and
respect. Human beings are
sensitive and they can ascertain
the benefit of any
action very acutely. If
personal gain of a few
is the result of collective
action, this clearly leads
to lack of cooperation in
further pursuits.
Thus the ‘heartful’
boss is the one who
has empathy. How does
one develop empathy?
One way is to develop a sense of
absolute confidence in oneself by
being open to scrutiny by team
members. While most people
approach this relationship from
the 'mind' and try and achieve
empathy by outward show of
action and demonstration by
awards, the more successful way
would be to truly mean it by
the 'heart'. The heartful way is
enduring, trusting and confident.
A heartfelt handshake, a silent
clap, a genuine word of concern
at difficult times goes a long way
in generating this camaraderie
than formal announcements
and brightly packaged 'gifts' in
exchange of team goals met. While
official recognition is important,
By Tushar Pradhan
such genuine ways of
showing thankfulness
truly makes a boss a joy
to work for.
Empathy is also the
outcome of a meditative
practice that helps an
individual come to terms
with his or her own
drawbacks and gives
one the confidence
to change. This change leads
to broader change in the work
environment till it eventually
encompasses humanity at large.
Tushar Pradhan is the Chief
Investment Officer at HSBC Asset
Management (India) Pvt. Ltd. He
has been practicing Heartfulness
Meditation for two decades and is
a Spiritual Trainer and Coordinator
of Heartfulness Institute.
yourwellness.com • Volume VII • Issue III • August 2018