THE WAITING ROOM
“If
you wouldn’t follow yourself,
why
should anyone else?”
John
C. Maxwell
A
week ago, a young girl, who was scheduled to face interviews for MBA programmes
from some premier institutes, contacted me. She wanted to refer my name to
these institutes as her ‘Teacher’.
I was more than
delighted.
This girl, who I had
taught for three years during her degree college, had many strengths. One of
them was, that she was very ‘dependable’. She was committed, punctual and communicative.
I was just a teacher for her. In this respect, her commitment referred to each
of her session with me. She rarely missed any. And, very rarely, when she had
to, she would communicate with me beforehand, negotiate; sometimes, try to
reschedule with mutual consent. She always showed up before time. Again, very
rarely, if, for some reason, she found it difficult to be before time, she
would call me up and let me know about it… She did her assignments within the
scheduled time period… I never had to coax her or force her to do them.
A rare species?
Well, I just want to tell you this: This girl was conscious of her personality traits – which we call ‘Strengths’. So, I wasn’t surprised when I was told by her, following her interviews, that every interviewer had asked her to talk about her major strengths…
And, this girl did speak
about her strengths which I have highlighted above…
The take away from these strengths
boils down to this: The young girl is dependable!
And, what a fine personal
quality that is! And, how grossly most of us underestimate its importance!
Today, I had to drill
this hard truth into another young man, Rohit*. This young man, who has just begun
his twelfth-standard classes under me, is a wonderful kid. He is passionate
about cricket; for which, he has been undergoing coaching. He is, also, blessed
with an analytical mind, because of which, he is excellent in mathematical calculations.
His mother had already briefed me about his strengths and weaknesses during his
enrolment. His main weakness, according to his mother, was ‘Procrastination’… “Sir,
he keeps things for the last minute and ends up doing a shoddy work… He needs
to be constantly coaxed and nudged.”
Ture to his mom’s
assessment, I could easily, and quickly, make out Rohit’s classic strengths and
weaknesses. Being aware of his analytical mind, coupled with a passion for
cricket, he seems more inclined to follow the path of a Harsha Bhogle than a Virat
Kohli. I have no reason to doubt his ‘aptitude’ for it…
But, I do have a reason
to doubt his ‘attitude’ for it…
It may sound bitter when
I say this. But, all pills for cure are bitter, you see!
Yes, Rohit is the last
one to join our sessions . Often, when I don’t see him connected, I get a doubt
– “Will he?” or “Will he not?”.
The same happens
regarding his assignments… When I don’t see them till the stipulated time, I
doubt – “Will he?” or “Will he not?”
Today, when the same thing
repeated, I asked him if he had watched the film ‘Chak De’…
“Yes Sir,” Rohit responded
excitedly, “Very inspiring film.”
“Do you remember the scene
in which the new Coach of Indian Women’s-Hockey team, Kabir Khan, deals with
Preeti Sabharwal, the Captain of Chadhigarh team?”
“Yes Sir, I remember it
very well,” said Rohit.
“Was this coach too harsh
on her?”
“No Sir, he wasn’t.”
“Does it apply in cricket,
too?”
“Yes Sir.”
“What about our classes –
Does it apply here, too”
“It does, Sir”
“So, the take away, my
friend, is this: From now on, you join the sessions five minutes before time… and
be there in the ‘Waiting Room’. You don’t make your coaches wait for you. Else,
you may get the harsh verdict from Life Coaches
- “Sorry, young man. Try your luck, next time.”.
The
‘Waiting Room’ is an amazing place to be in. It’s a lovely metaphor… Be there on
your own, without being pushed. And be there, by choice… Gladly. Because, it
builds your character – your ‘attitude’. And you know what: It makes you
dependable!
‘Chak De’… Go for it!
*Name changed
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic’s: pixabay
Video: YRF
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