Ego at Work

Cast off anger,
From your heart,
Like an arrow from the bow,
So that you may again be friends,
And live together in Harmony.
(Atharva Veda)

The daily frictions of office life can be very draining on our energy and morale. Most (frictions) are un-required and almost all are avoidable. But heck, the ego comes in play and kills the harmony.

The trappings of position and designation, the size of your car, or the office and position thereof, the proximity to the seat of power, the perks and above all, EGO (as Sigmund Freud said, the concept of I, Me and Myself) is enough to ruin a perfectly functional relationship in the office.

Managers today are more informed and empowered than ever before. They should also learn to be more flexible, humble and understanding. An opposing point of view does not mean an inflexible stand. A discussion need not become an argument. An argument need not end up in a fight. A fight need not end up in bloodshed (physically or managerially).

We tolerate a lot of imperfections (perceived by us though not necessarily correctly), from our family members. Do we not tolerate our parent’s comments when we think we know better? Do we not tolerate our children’s misbehavior when they are young and naughty? Our siblings’ ideosyncracies?

Should we not give our colleagues at work the same space?
Keep your ego aside friends. You may be hurting your best friends (or yourself) for nothing.

Cheers!