We reap what we sow

Well... not always if you are a farmer. Not all the saplings I plant survive no matter what I do so I learned that in planting, you must be prepared to accept some losses. But as long as you compensate by planting a bit more, you'll be okay.

When I was working (yes I was actually employed once upon a time) I was known for my unpopular belief that we deserve what we get. That's what I would say to people who were struggling with workplace issues. To be fair, I also said the same thing to people who enjoyed success. You worked hard, you made the right choices, you deserve it. Congratulations!

I am acutely aware of how selective we humans can be. When we succeed, its always due to our hard work. When we fail, its always other people's fault. The truth is, if we could see the future, we would not have made half the decisions we made today. That itself is a silent admission of own own role in the messes we're in. But since we can't see the future, we barge ahead, pay the price, regret, and say never again. Pain is a great teacher if we are open to learning.

So if that's the case, then why does history keep repeating itself? Did we fail to connect the dots between action and consequence? Or did we see it but tried our luck to beat the system (the law of action-reaction) with our creativity?

Some time ago, a manager in a big company came to me for advice complaining that his colleague (another manager) had instructed him to change a broken light bulb at a store room. Incensed that these menial requests were getting frequent, he complained that he had been reduced to a servant by colleagues of the same rank.

"Did you tell him that as a manager, its not your job to pick up the rubbish and change light bulbs?" I asked him.

"Yes I did" he said.

"And...?"

"He just kept quiet."

"And...?"

"So I had to do it lah!"

"So, you let him get away with not replying your question. Can I ask why?"

"... what would you have done?"

"Well, for one I never let an important question go unanswered so I would not remove myself out of his face until he says something. I would also ask him to explain why he thought it was appropriate to treat a fellow manager like his personal servant. Again, I would not let him walk off without giving me an explanation."

"What if he did?"

"Then I'll tell him he can go do it himself. If it bugs me that much, I'll walk to the MD's office to ask what's going on. If I'm dissatisfied with the answer, I go to the Chairman."

When we do nothing to change our fate and choose only to complain, we deserve what's coming to us. If it turned out that the abusive manager is the blue-eyed boy of the MD and Chairman and his actions came from a sense of entitlement, and if top management paints itself as incapable of equitable behaviour, then you get to decide if this is the best place to spend the prime of your life. Maybe moving on is the best thing that ever happened. Either way, you take control of your destiny.

The same thing happens in public life when the representative we elect betray us. We jump up and down in anger when they say something outrageous. So tell me, what homework did we do before we elected these people to their seats? Did we do a thorough due diligence by questioning their personal convictions on issues that are dear to our heart? Did we put them under a spotlight and make them declare who they really were before we voted them? Did we let them get away without answering? Worse, did we even ask?

So who to blame when these people start saying the wrong things? Them for screwing you, or you for putting them there in the first place?

That's what 2 decades of management has taught me. I know, its not the most popular thing to say but recent events convince me even more that we got what we deserve. That's a bit harsh you might say. Its those other people, they were the ones who did this and that. Yes, maybe, but whatever happened to willpower and choice? Let me ask the vocal ones, what have you done to ensure that the next individual you elect isn't some dangerous quack in disguise? And what have you done to endear reason to the hearts and minds of those likely to hoist up a dangerous quack?

You did not fall for old Deng Xiao Peng's "It does not matter whether they are black cats or white cats; so long as they catch mice, they are good cats," did you?