Story: Garima, Business Analyst
Having an experience of working at multiple companies, I always see that we are after promotions and appraisals a bit too much. Back in our minds, we always consider this as a factor that impacts a lot of our actions, interaction, and work in the company. As a result, our performance sometimes turns into pretense.
A few years back, a manager had joined our company. He had a brief meeting with all of us on the first day. It was a general interaction for everyone to know the manager.
Starting his introduction, he talked about his experience and what changes he tries to bring in the team. Even though everything looked good, his way of discussion was very funny. At one point, he said that his hobby is to help his team members. Even though every manager helps and guides his team members, this seemed a bit funny at the time, considering the fact that it is one of the duties of him as a manager.
But, things took a drastic turn once he started interacting with all of us. As time passed, and as he started taking care of the team, his initial interaction became an over-commitment. Even though he is a good person at heart, his demeanor, his work and his talent exhibited in the initial months did not match with what he had been saying.
Gradually, I observed that his actions didn't speak as much, and so his words became a point of discussion in gossips.
This experience has always been a good lesson for me. He may not have taught me directly, but the visuals made me stay realistic for my future meetings with new people and pushed me to prove myself through my actions and not words.