You can do Anything, but not Everything !

In my corporate work journey, I have met many people. Some good , some not so good.  Some were exemplary and some taught me what not to emulate . 

The learning curve of a child is the steepest from age 0 to 5. In the same way,  when you start your career, that is the time when you rub your corners and shine like a diamond and soak up experiences and learn. 

I had been lucky to work with a person when I started the career and over the years I have realized how much I have learned from him.  For the sake of anonymity, let me call him Big B.   

For some, delegating comes easily, maybe too easy. For others who are perfectionists, letting go of even the most trivial task is almost impossible. If you are in this second category, you probably don’t like the references behind your back that you are a “control freak” or a “micro-manager.”

For Big B , delegation came instinctively.  He had a clear idea about what he would delegate, to whom he will delegate. He gave crystal clear instructions on the assignments. The deadlines, the priorities were crisply communicated.  And he had his own excellent methods of tracking and following ups. 

But one thing which was really admirable about Big B's  delegation was the trust he placed on people and giving credit at the right time and place.

Big B came to office exactly at 9 am and left at 5 pm. Without fail.  I remember one day,  I panted to his office at 5 pm.   He was ready to leave.

"Sir ... please, I need your signature on these " ... I blurted out. 

He looked at me . 

"Is the office on fire ? " He asked . 

"No Sir ... "

"Has anyone died ? "

"Err... No ... ! " I blabbered. 

"Then my signature can wait till tomorrow morning"

"But Sir .... we might lose out on the new contract... "

"Well ... Why couldn't you come a few minutes before ? " Big B asked again

By that time, I was completely flabbergasted.  I could not answer his question.

He picked up his bag and started leaving.  

Big B looked at me and said  "If someone is not efficient, why should I have to pay for it ? " 

This was a lesson learnt which I have not forgotten till date. 

Three Cheers for Big B !   I am sure this post will make him smile.  

I salute you sir !