Public Sector Banks in India has taken upon itself a mission of being a Common Man’s Bank. A large majority of our 20 billion plus customers belong to this category. It is our bounden duty to uplift them. They are willing to improve as is seen in the orderly conduct of elections in the world’s largest democracy.
When I was in Delhi I used to get my pan from a panwallah from Bihar. One day, as he was making my pan, two children one 4 years and another slightly bigger, 6 years – came running. The smaller child wearing a new pair of shoes fell down and the bigger child tried to lift the smaller one by holding its shoe.
As an educated man with a lot of exposure I was immediately led to think that the bigger child was out to grab the new shoes of the little one, started the chase and in the melee made the little child fall down. But the so-called unlettered Bihari panwallah started laughing . I was a bit irritated by his not empathising with the fallen child . I asked the panwallah why he laughed. The simple Bihari explained to me that he was laughing because of the foolish act of the bigger child, as it was trying to lift the little one by holding the leg instead of giving a helping hand.
Extending the helping hand – it is a mantra that struck me as far as financial inclusion is concerned. We officials more often than not try to lift the BPL people by lifting them by their leg. A change of our mental perception is what is needed in emphatising with these people.
It is not uncommon to find that that people from lesser privileged backgrounds like the ghettos, jhuggi- jhopdis etc are more prone to violence than others from better and cleaner environments; the operative word being “cleaner, more attractive, well organized and kept and maintained surroundings.
This article aims to answer the question “why”. Why do they behave this way?
Let’s try and understand these actions more in the spirit of starting a discussion than deep psychological unraveling to prove anything. Let me take up a few:
There is all the open space on the road.. But the other guy still does not find enough space and bumps into you.
This is the way they feel comfortable and justify their individuality.
These unfortunate people have known only cramped surroundings that accord them no pride or individuality with little or no space of their own. They have never been alone. Living in cramped and often dirty surroundings with no respite in sight and with an underlying subconscious thought that life has dealt them a miserable hand.
There is a lot of empty space to park the car but the guy still double parks and blocks the road for everybody.
Self importance makes them want to be seen always in a hurry. They take the shortest rout from one point to another, even overtake at curves and from the left or go over the other half of the road; so importantly they have to park right opposite the gate and subconsciously the only way they can attract attention is by being a bit of nuisance.
There is a Q at the milk booth but he still tries to push his hand over others to be served first.
He is supremely comfortable in his own persona. Nobody else exists. He does not see anyone else. I was at the booth and this young lad came and tried to go over everybody, specially a small servant girl. I stopped him and told him flatly that he shall have to wait his turn; his answered saying that he did not see the girl. They live so much in a world where they are the single most important person that they automatically become blind to everyone else. Then cheating is part of life; is it not?
He sees the well kept courtyard and the first thing he does is spit in front of the front door before entering.
The poor guy is really showing off his good manners; that before entering the house he was clearing his throat and all. It is not his fault that he has never known a clean “front” as part of one’s image. The street where he lives is the principal common drain too of the locality. A beautiful front as part of character of the home is too far away from his conception of things. He has only learnt to see his smashing handsome self in the mirror and he is very impressed by his image.
The whole sleeping compartment is asleep in the train and two people wake up in the morning and start talking and guffawing.
In their common life nobody has ever respected their privacy. The concept simply does not exist in their personas. They have known dirt, neglect and are acutely aware that for a few minutes of romp their parents have endowed them a life-time of misery. If they manage to get out of their abject surroundings, they have to let the world know it and it never occurred to them that what they are so loudly announcing to the world is not of interest to anybody or very commonplace too..
In Financial inclusion what is required is “Extend a helping hand .. Don’t try to lift them by their legs”. After all, it is specifically these people who have brought wonderful changes through a vibrant democracy and elected 15 Lok Sabhas so far!
ஞாயிறு, 17 மே, 2009
Listening to tohers and Responding to others' views
Listening and Responding to the views of others
Once there lived a very good King who was very nice to others and wanted everything to be perfect around him. He had a good minister called Suman. (A minister has to be wise . He cannot be otherwise!)
A person's patient listening qualities grow inversely proportional to his growing status.
Suman is so optimistic that he strongly believes that whatever is happening is only for good. One day they were engaged in sword fighting and the king's little finger was lost. Suman immediately helped him get good treatment. The cut was not big enough but it left an indelible scar. The king asked Suman why I should suffer this cut in spite of my being a good ruler and being so nice to all. Suman as usual said whatever happened was bound to be happen and that it is good that it happened to him.
The king, already reeling under the pain of his wound, got so furious that he stopped talking to Suman from that moment and went for a hunting program which he originally planned with Suman. The minister further irritated the king by saying that it is very good that he is not accompanying the king to forest.
As any angry man does, he loses his way and were engulfed by a tribe who arrested him and sent to their chieftain for offering as a sacrifice to their god. The tribal chief examined and found that the king has no little finger. As sacrificing such a person with a defective body will earn the wrath of their, he let the king go free. The king returned to his palace and narrated the incident to Suman. The minister explained that the loss of one little finger was good because it saved the king's life. The minister not joining the king is also beneficial because the tribes would have sacrified him since he has no defects in his body and make the king poorerthe king with the loss of his sagacious minister.
The moral of the story is that the minister by mistake has caused the loss of the king's finger in the sword fight. But that helped the king in greater measure.
Let us come closer and analyse an even nearer historical event.
They said he died.
One morning in 1888, Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, the man who
had spent his life amassing a fortune from the manufacture and sale of
weapons of destruction, awoke to read his own obituary. Of course, it
was a mistake. Alfred's brother had died, and the reporter
inadvertently wrote Alfred's obituary.
For the first time, Alfred Nobel saw himself as the world saw him –
"the dynamite king," the great industrialist who had made an immense
fortune from explosives. This, as far as the general public was
concerned, was the entire purpose of his life. None of his true
intentions surfaced. Nothing was said about his work to break down the
barriers that separated persons and ideas. He was, quite simply, a
merchant of death, and for that alone would he be remembered.
Alfred read the obituary with horror. He felt that the world must know
the true meaning and purpose of his life. He resolved to do this
through his last will and testament. The final disposition of his
fortune would show the world his life's ideals. And at that time came
into being yearly prizes for chemistry, physics, medicine,
literature – and the famous Nobel Peace Prize.
If you were to read your own obituary today, what would it say? Do
others know what you stand for, what you believe in and what truly
matters to you?
Dr. Philip Humbert asks, "What remarkable, extraordinary and amazing
things will you do with this wild and wonderful miracle, your one and
only life?" I believe that the question should also be asked this way:
"What will you do with this wild and wonderful miracle, your one and
only DAY?" For it's increasingly clear to me that the decisions I make
every day, even little decisions, will decide how my life will
eventually turn out.
Hopefully, I won't wake up to read my own obituary. But I have already
begun to write it – day by day, moment by moment. And if I live a life
that matters today, then my obituary will already be written in the
hearts of those who know me.
-- Steve Goodier
We therefore have to develop the habit of listening to others.
Recently a Research has been conducted by Cornell University on Managers' Skills vs. Listening Environment; where they work on "Building Managers' Skill to Create Listening Environment". The study was conducted by Judi Brownwell, P.hd from Centre for Hospitality Research at Connell. She used HURIER framework to analyse the importance of Listening with-in the organization. I find it interesting to share with all members of the Forum.
The HURIER Listening Model
1. H
– Develop Hearing
• Do not multi-task when listening—focus entirely on the speaker
• Eliminate distractions
• Position yourself where it is easy to hear
• Postpone listening if you cannot concentrate
• Be prepared to listen
2. U
– Increase Understanding
• Ask for clarification when vocabulary or jargon is unfamiliar
• Restate to ensure that you have understood completely
• Ask questions to clarify intentions
• Distinguish details from the speaker’s main points
• Refrain from interrupting the person speaking
3. R
– Improve Remembering
• Quickly identify good reasons to remember what you hear
• Stay calm and focused—stress interferes with memory
• Learn short and long term memory techniques
• Continuously practice to improve your memory
4. I
– Interpret Accurately
• Observe and consider the speaker’s nonverbal cues
• Listen for emotional messages as well as words
• Take the context of the communication into account
• Encourage the speaker
• Recognize and account for individual differences
5. E
– Evaluate Wisely
• Listen to the entire message before responding
• Apply guidelines of sound reasoning in making judgments
• Distinguish emotional from logical appeals
• Recognize the influence of your personal bias and values
• Differentiate between the ideas presented and the person
speaking
6. R
– Respond Appropriately
• Be aware of your unintentional nonverbal communication
• Recognize how your response influences the speaker’s decisions
• Distinguish among different types of response—including
judgments, empathy, opinions, and questions
• Expand your behavioral flexibility—make choices based on the
needs of the situation rather than your habits and comfort level.
The further study on HURIER Listening Model at Cornell University proves that listening meant different things to employees in different departments and in different industry segments. For instance; A member of the sales staff may need to develop a high level of competence in understanding and remembering the details a client provides, while a hostess in the Bar might depend more heavily on her ability to interpret a guests’ behavior, since the hostess must assess and respond appropriately to a guest’s emotional aspect.
Once there lived a very good King who was very nice to others and wanted everything to be perfect around him. He had a good minister called Suman. (A minister has to be wise . He cannot be otherwise!)
A person's patient listening qualities grow inversely proportional to his growing status.
Suman is so optimistic that he strongly believes that whatever is happening is only for good. One day they were engaged in sword fighting and the king's little finger was lost. Suman immediately helped him get good treatment. The cut was not big enough but it left an indelible scar. The king asked Suman why I should suffer this cut in spite of my being a good ruler and being so nice to all. Suman as usual said whatever happened was bound to be happen and that it is good that it happened to him.
The king, already reeling under the pain of his wound, got so furious that he stopped talking to Suman from that moment and went for a hunting program which he originally planned with Suman. The minister further irritated the king by saying that it is very good that he is not accompanying the king to forest.
As any angry man does, he loses his way and were engulfed by a tribe who arrested him and sent to their chieftain for offering as a sacrifice to their god. The tribal chief examined and found that the king has no little finger. As sacrificing such a person with a defective body will earn the wrath of their, he let the king go free. The king returned to his palace and narrated the incident to Suman. The minister explained that the loss of one little finger was good because it saved the king's life. The minister not joining the king is also beneficial because the tribes would have sacrified him since he has no defects in his body and make the king poorerthe king with the loss of his sagacious minister.
The moral of the story is that the minister by mistake has caused the loss of the king's finger in the sword fight. But that helped the king in greater measure.
Let us come closer and analyse an even nearer historical event.
They said he died.
One morning in 1888, Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, the man who
had spent his life amassing a fortune from the manufacture and sale of
weapons of destruction, awoke to read his own obituary. Of course, it
was a mistake. Alfred's brother had died, and the reporter
inadvertently wrote Alfred's obituary.
For the first time, Alfred Nobel saw himself as the world saw him –
"the dynamite king," the great industrialist who had made an immense
fortune from explosives. This, as far as the general public was
concerned, was the entire purpose of his life. None of his true
intentions surfaced. Nothing was said about his work to break down the
barriers that separated persons and ideas. He was, quite simply, a
merchant of death, and for that alone would he be remembered.
Alfred read the obituary with horror. He felt that the world must know
the true meaning and purpose of his life. He resolved to do this
through his last will and testament. The final disposition of his
fortune would show the world his life's ideals. And at that time came
into being yearly prizes for chemistry, physics, medicine,
literature – and the famous Nobel Peace Prize.
If you were to read your own obituary today, what would it say? Do
others know what you stand for, what you believe in and what truly
matters to you?
Dr. Philip Humbert asks, "What remarkable, extraordinary and amazing
things will you do with this wild and wonderful miracle, your one and
only life?" I believe that the question should also be asked this way:
"What will you do with this wild and wonderful miracle, your one and
only DAY?" For it's increasingly clear to me that the decisions I make
every day, even little decisions, will decide how my life will
eventually turn out.
Hopefully, I won't wake up to read my own obituary. But I have already
begun to write it – day by day, moment by moment. And if I live a life
that matters today, then my obituary will already be written in the
hearts of those who know me.
-- Steve Goodier
We therefore have to develop the habit of listening to others.
Recently a Research has been conducted by Cornell University on Managers' Skills vs. Listening Environment; where they work on "Building Managers' Skill to Create Listening Environment". The study was conducted by Judi Brownwell, P.hd from Centre for Hospitality Research at Connell. She used HURIER framework to analyse the importance of Listening with-in the organization. I find it interesting to share with all members of the Forum.
The HURIER Listening Model
1. H
– Develop Hearing
• Do not multi-task when listening—focus entirely on the speaker
• Eliminate distractions
• Position yourself where it is easy to hear
• Postpone listening if you cannot concentrate
• Be prepared to listen
2. U
– Increase Understanding
• Ask for clarification when vocabulary or jargon is unfamiliar
• Restate to ensure that you have understood completely
• Ask questions to clarify intentions
• Distinguish details from the speaker’s main points
• Refrain from interrupting the person speaking
3. R
– Improve Remembering
• Quickly identify good reasons to remember what you hear
• Stay calm and focused—stress interferes with memory
• Learn short and long term memory techniques
• Continuously practice to improve your memory
4. I
– Interpret Accurately
• Observe and consider the speaker’s nonverbal cues
• Listen for emotional messages as well as words
• Take the context of the communication into account
• Encourage the speaker
• Recognize and account for individual differences
5. E
– Evaluate Wisely
• Listen to the entire message before responding
• Apply guidelines of sound reasoning in making judgments
• Distinguish emotional from logical appeals
• Recognize the influence of your personal bias and values
• Differentiate between the ideas presented and the person
speaking
6. R
– Respond Appropriately
• Be aware of your unintentional nonverbal communication
• Recognize how your response influences the speaker’s decisions
• Distinguish among different types of response—including
judgments, empathy, opinions, and questions
• Expand your behavioral flexibility—make choices based on the
needs of the situation rather than your habits and comfort level.
The further study on HURIER Listening Model at Cornell University proves that listening meant different things to employees in different departments and in different industry segments. For instance; A member of the sales staff may need to develop a high level of competence in understanding and remembering the details a client provides, while a hostess in the Bar might depend more heavily on her ability to interpret a guests’ behavior, since the hostess must assess and respond appropriately to a guest’s emotional aspect.
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