Training Works

Around twenty vice presidents and general managers of a well known large company in the corporate sector were attentively listening to my concluding remarks in the two days seminar on “time management”. I was telling them that time management was not about accounting the hours and minutes of one’s day or doing all kinds of activities with the aim of minimizing the time taken on them but it was all about how well one spent his time on the objectives, projects, tasks and activities that were most important to him.

To help them understand this concept better, I left them with a question, the answer to which would uncover their most important objectives and related activities. I advised them to answer the question with lots of thinking. The question read like this, “What couple of things could you do (which you are not doing now or are not doing them seriously) that if you did them persistently, would make a tremendous difference in your personal and professional life?”

I left them at that.

Then, I got busy with my other clients for next few months. I also used to frequently visit the earlier mentioned company on my various management consultancy assignments there.

On one such occasion when I was on a visit to this company for consultations and after a hectic meeting was relaxing a bit in its board room, a gentleman knocked at the door, opened it slightly, looked at me enquiringly and said, “Excuse me, can I see you for a while? I won’t take much of your time though”. I said, “Please come and have a seat.”

He mentioned without wasting much of time, “I was one of the participants of your very first time management seminar that you conducted for the top and the senior managers of our company a few months ago. I was quite influenced by your seminar, Now, I am hugely benefited by implementing what you told and I wish to share that with you. Can I take a lift in your car in the evening so that I can tell you in detail all about it?”

I said, “It suits me, you are most welcome.”

After finishing my job that day, as I was about to get into my car, that gentleman was already there waiting for me. I let him in. I drove the car out of the company premises and as we were on the main road, he said, “First of all, I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You literally changed my life.”

Then, he proceeded to tell me his entire story, “I was not very happy with what I was doing all along. The shop floor job never suited me. Yet I continued with it. With my intelligence and hard work, it was not difficult for me to succeed even in that kind of shop floor oriented production job that I really detested badly. I got promotions pretty fast but frankly I wasn’t just cut out for it intellectually. Something was seriously missing. Outwardly everything looked fine to me and to others because I was a fast promoted person to the extent that I am one of the youngest general managers in the company. But inwardly, I knew that I was not comfortable.”

He paused and continued again, “And then, I heard your talk on time management and particularly the question you gave us to answer towards the conclusion of the seminar. It haunted me for a few days. I started looking at it and understanding it with lots of seriousness. I started finding its answer and one day it occurred to me that I should switch over to a job that is closer to my heart and mind. I asked myself- what is that? The answer was staring at me; I needed a job which would use my analytical, systems and management skills. Also the job should provide me with better career progression. What was it? I went on playing with many answers and finally zeroed in on ERP (enterprise resource planning) as my new area of action. Once I was clear about it, I hurried up and took a three months evening course on ERP and on one specific ERP package in one of the most reputed institutes. It was an expensive program and yet, I was happy investing the amount. Luckily, my existing company is already going ahead implementing ERP and knowing that I am a qualified ERP professional offered me to head the new ERP department. I have already accepted the offer and started the ERP implementation work in the company. I am really enjoying every minute of my time now. I feel as if it is the start of a new life for me, full of rewards that I like. I sincerely wish to thank you. You and your time management program changed my life. Thanks.”

We had reached his home and he got down from the car. I drove away the car in the direction of my home feeling once more convinced that training does work.

Related Book

"Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" (available from Amazon, get it online)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

Other Related Reading

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For “out of box thinking” articles by Shyam Bhatawdekar, refer: (Out of Box Ideas) http://wow-idea.blogspot.com/

Read other blogs of Shyam Bhatawdekar at: (Home Page for Writings of Shyam Bhatawdekar) http://writings-of-shyam.blogspot.com