“The day one forgets that businesses are somehow built by different fabrics of employees, (for a purpose) is the day that one gets into trouble with the teamwork. The day that one forgets that even one’s very wife/husband is a foreign object (in one’s life) that needs time to be understood and properly bond, is the day things start to fall apart. The day that one thinks they are more important than the others, is the day that the down fall kicks in. The day one thinks their contribution are more than the next employee or spouse, is the day that hell breaks loose” This has always been The Eleven lines’ thought process and principle in life as well as in the work setting.
This medulla oblongata element (that usually sits in the subconscious) was activated by a conversation that The Eleven lines had with one distinguished auditing professional. With too many excited brain cells in his gray portions as a result of the poison he merciless drowned himself in, the well read professional could not help it but share his frustrations resulting from the structural changes within his company. His biggest frustration was that his report in which he recommended that sales needs to “observe controls before anything” was terribly opposed by the senior managers.
“I mean how does a company operate without following procedures? How do you manage without controls? I think some departments get preferential in business. Is that the case with your company?” He quizzed The Eleven Lines. “Now here we are again. Too many questions” The Eleven lines thought but as usual he usually avoids talking about internal business of his company in irrelevant settings and so avoided the last question.
“When the company is messed up, who cleans the mess?. Kodi anthu inu a sales mumadzikonda bwanji? (translated with a deep tumbuka ascent; why are sales people self centred?)” He continued examining The Eleven lines.
The Eleven lines checked his time and realized that some of the questions were a sign that the level of frustration in this learned colleague was too high to maintain a level-headed conversation. The poison he had been piping did not help matters. The Eleven lines went ahead and proposed to set up time to stage a healthy, “un-poisoned” and progressive conversation the following day.
Next day quickly came and when The Eleven lines called to check, the good man could not remember a single thing of the conversation we had but had a lot to share about the after effects on self inflicted, deliberate and planned poising – The hangover was pouncing on him like a ton of bricks.
“So there are too many frustrated employees stuck in offices and need some therapy. This could very easily be a business opportunity for the medical profession.” This conversation got The Eleven lines thinking. Now for those who know The Eleven lines very well, he is a character of peace and whenever he can, he provides an ear or trash can to help those in need of offloading heavy loads sitting in people’s chest. This too was the case in this conversation he had with the mighty auditor.
In his cubicle on a Monday morning just before composing this article, The Eleven lines realized that we all clean up the companies’ mess in our different capacities. The auditor will clean up the mess the books may hold while the production may clean up the mess that marketing has created. In the same way marketing may clean up the mess that debt controlling may have inflicted on customers.
What is imperative to fully understand where the business is heading and what role has to be played to get to the desired destination. Failure to get that in synch with ones role and drive is likely to give birth to conceive a disastrous baby called office politics.
“To fellow marketers who may find themselves in this quandary, stay objective about any form of criticism. Stay away from reading in between lines that may not even exist. To the rest of the great professions, we are all equally valuable in any business we exist in. Let’s have all the fun as we propel our brands forward” Eleven lines 2019
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