On 26th of July (Yes, you are right…on my birth day) I was coming back to Delhi in Taj Express from Agra (after spending the wonderful day or to be honest, after celebrating my birthday in a most fantabulous way with my fiancée. Oh man!! what the day it was… well, that is not the part I am gonna scribe here) and in the train I came across a man who was actually using his power (the position power) for someone. Stan lee said, power comes with great responsibility
I was seated on my reserved seat and in the same row just two seats aside an educated,sophisticated middle aged man was seated who also boarded the train from Agra. From his attire and gadgets I barely took a minute to get that he is from IT industry and he is at some kind of Senior position. I didn’t paid much attention to him after all he is not the only one who requires my attention so I shifted my eyes from him to other things in that coach (you know what I am talking here ) and then came back to my novel which I was carrying with me but antenna of my ears were overhearing the conversation of that IT guy who was talking to his team mate about his project deliveries,deadlines and other bulls**t.
I was very much indulged in my novel and my ear’s radar was trying not to intercept voice signal emitted from this guy but I was not able to read when I heard a loud conversation between him and his colleague, may be his junior or may be his team mate. I was not able to hear what the person on the other side of phone [poosp] have said but I guessed what he might have said to him….
Boss: Bhaad me gya project and Bhaad me gayi deadline.
Poosp: something something.
Boss: Dekho, I don’t care… I want that person to be out. I don’t need that sluggish useless person anymore.
Poosp: something something.
Boss: You just do what I am saying to you, talk to HR and prepare his resignation for asked to leave. If you want then I can write a mail to HR right now.
By all this conversation I got the hint that this man is going to fire that person. I started thinking about that person, whatever may be the reason behind all this is it really necessary to fire that person from the company. A manager has the power to recruit a person and also to play game with that person but does firing is so required?
This man was deciding the fate and the very next morning events of that person by adjusting his big round ass on the accordingly small seat of train and he was not thinking for a moment that what that person is gonna do when he will come to know that his boss has shown his position power.
I wanted to go to this person and say to him “Please calm down, it is a matter of somebody’s daily bread…please think calmly….is firing the only option you have got…may be you can release him from your project so that HR can decide what to do with him.” but I didn’t did so. Instead, I started staring him just to make him realise that I am getting all the things about which he was talking on the phone.
When I was staring him, he saw me and he continued
Boss: You just inform him to go for a three days leaves with immediate effect. I will write a mail to him for this keeping HR in CC.
Poosp: Something something.
Boss: When he will come back after three days then HR will handover him the pink slip and he is out.
Poosp: Something something.
Boss: talk to Prashant, take his feedback in mail and keep in CC.Once I get this mail from him I am gonna send this to big boss right away.
Now we can say that this is may be one of the disadvantage of smart phones or blackberry which can actually decided somebody fate instantly.
I continued to stare him, I looked at him from top to bottom then bottom to top and made a very weird expression just to show him how big asshole he is. I knew that this act of mine is not going to change the fate of that person but still I can do this only from my side. That man continued blabbering on his smart phone for another two hours and I continued staring him with different time intervals.
What I think is that may be that person has done something so big that his boss is not able to tolerate but still is firing the only option left. A boss has the position power but he also has the responsibility towards his team members and his project.
Power and responsibility (Poweresponsibility or Respowersibility) comes with a big deal and we must use it in a manner which is right for all not for individual.