Do you Bake Cookies @ Work?

I am a “Workflex” mom and typically am running short on patience with kids getting extra enthusiastic about working around the house during my “working” hours.

Today was one such day. Early on in the day, my 10 year old decided that he needed to hone his baking skills, and TODAY was THE day he wanted to do it, and of course, now was the only time!

So we got into this argument about how it’s not such a great idea to do it at 9:30 in the morning on a working day and how it was wiser to wait until the maid got in and was around to assist, trouble shoot, clean up, etc.

Arnie (the aforementioned 10 year old), was of course having none of that and he resolved that he would brave on and do it all on his own…… So far so good! Promptly, out came the recipe book, pans, ingredients, weighing scale, spatulas, gloves, blender et al. I could feel my blood-pressure rise but decided, for the sake of my peace of mind, to allow this transgression!

And so it was that Arnie, who knew nothing about baking, had never baked alone ever in his 10 year life, had only rudimentary knowledge of kitchen implements, but who was never short on purpose, enthusiasm and chutzpah, baked the most delicious, gorgeous cookies I had ever eaten. And here I was, berating him for the mess he had made, the countless interruptions he had added to my work, the general chaos in the house with the dog getting frisky on all the food smells and a kitchen that was getting increasingly buttery and floury!

When I look back at this, what exactly did he learn?? Hopefully, he learnt that when you want to do something badly, just go ahead and do it, doesn’t matter if mom thinks of it as a good idea; And not – “Mom never appreciates that I am doing something Awesome!”

What did I learn? Well, there is short-term pain when there’s an enthusiastic hand around. But with some nurturing, how that hand can create AWESOMENESS!

Ok, now let’s extrapolate this to your organization… Do you have Arnies around? What do you do with them? Do you allow the overwhelming urge of playing it safe and keeping everything clean and perfect to dominate? OR Do you allow them to bake their cookies despite the mess they will surely make? In short, are you experiencing AWESOMENESS?

Would be keen to know!

plugHR launches "sharedPages" - The Book Club

In most of my meetings with senior management at corporates, training needs are discussed without exception. In almost 80% cases the need is severly felt in behavioural & attitudinal enlightenment space rather than core skills.

This makes the job difficult because unlike skill training that revolves around transfer of skill and then fine tuning through practise, behavioural changes are more evolutionery in speed. Behaviour, beliefs and attitudes developed over some 25-30 years of cconditioning do not get addressed in 3 day seminars. At best these efforts can act as triggers through which one can identify and establish the need to change.

Actual process of change is more long term, self driven and isolated attempt in most cases. In absence of a robust mentoring machinery around this goal in organization, learning material like books, movies, cases etc can provide enthusiasts with the required armery.

Having entrusted with the task of talent development at our client organizations, plugHR initiated an attempt in that direction by launching sharedPages - A book Club that allows members to benefit from recommended selection of such learning content without investing time & money.

Currently launched as a private club for plugHR employees and those of its clients, sharedPages works through close relationship with organizations.

Check out www.sharedPages.wordpress.com for more details.

sharedPages is on now!!! Happy reading.....