Persistence and Accountability are Siblings

My children  practice on the electronic keyboard we have at home, but when it malfunctioned, we took it to a service center to get it repaired. The technician said that the problem was a minor one and   would return the instrument at the end of the day. We went in the evening to take delivery of the repaired keyboard, but since I did not find an empty parking space, I gave Esther and Rakshan the money so that they could pay the Service center and bring back the keyboard.

They took longer than expected to return with the keyboard, so I asked them the reason for the delay.  Esther explained that Rakshan asked for a receipt but the technician refused and  the delay was because she insisted on having it.  She went to  narrate  that as they were about to leave when Esther stopped and asked him why he wouldn't give them a receipt. He said it was just a repair job  and the norm was not to give a customer a receipt for repairs. Esther asked if he could give them a receipt and he said yes. She asked him for once again and he replied it was not the norm to give a receipt for repairs jobs.  She said that she wanted a receipt and persisted with her persuasive skills  till he gave one to her.

Thinking ‘commercially’, I explained to them that he was probably trying to save on tax. I reasoned that if he did not wish to give us the receipt, they could have asked a discount, to which Rakshan  all of  fourteen responded that it was better to fix accountability than to get a discount.

Intent to Action

Our family needed some medicines at about 10.30 pm, and since we had just finished a hearty meal, my son Rakshan and I decided to walk to the nearby medical hall, than use the car. Half way into our errand, Rakshan noticed a poorly dressed man sleeping in a dark corner of the footpath and said, “Dad, maybe we should put a 100 Rupee note in his hand.” After some thought on whether this was prudent, he decided against it, but as we walked on, he kept wondering what we could do to help the man. I suggested that we could buy some biscuits for him at the medicine shop, but once there, we got busy with the purchase of the medicines and forgot all about the biscuits.

As we walked back, we came to the spot the man was sleeping in the darkness, and suddenly remembered the biscuits. My son looked around for a shop to buy the forgotten item, but an idea struck him when he noticed a restaurant a few yards away. He took me there, ordered an Aloo Paratha (Spiced mashed potatoes in flat bread), took the packet to the man, knelt down and said, “Brother please get up and eat”. The man with a nod of his  head and a  grateful look acknowledged the  offering.  Rakshan got up to his feet and continued walking towards home as if nothing had happened... it came so naturally to him. Having witnessed this, I realized how little it does it  take for us to walk the talk.

The Towel of Humility fills a Basin of Gratitude

Today is observed as Maundy Thursday - the day before Good Friday - which is  observed by all Christians  worldwide.  Jesus did  two acts on Maundy  Thursday, one of which is instituting the Holy Communion  which all Churches  follow and for the  second act he used two humble articles to demonstrate the power of humility. Using the basin and the towel, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

As an idea, washing  any one's feet makes good reading, however to actually wash another person’s  feet is another issue. At a church service the pastor asked for volunteers to use the basin and the towel. I remember asking my colleagues to do something new with this question, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” Perhaps this question prompted me as well, and I resolved to go ahead. I removed my shoes and walked down the aisle to be amongst a small group of faithfuls who volunteered. 

I rolled up my sleeves, knelt down, took the person's foot into my hand, poured water and washed one  foot at a time. My fingers washed the dust away from the heel, sole and toes. Having done that, I took a towel and wiped the feet dry. As I poured the water and used the towels, I whispered a silent prayer that this person be happy. It took only a few minutes. I then washed my hands and sat down. Then another person knelt down, washed my feet and dried them, during which time my eyes tried their best to communicate my gratefulness to him.

It has been a year, and I do not recollect anyone telling me, “oh you washed some one's feet” nor have I lost out due to that act. However let me share what I gained in the process. The very act of  kneeling down to wash another’s feet has made me realise that there is no such thing as ‘ego’. I did not depersonalise myself through this service. It did not take too long, nor was there anything mysterious about this act of washing another’s feet. 

We tend to attach too many emotions and sentiments to little acts of service, when in reality what matters is that these acts are much more than peoples' sentiments or social perception. Perhaps emotions and fear of social perceptions inhibit us from being productive.

I also felt a deep sense of gratitude at being served, that someone should deign to wash my feet. It also made me realise that there are several who are doing more than wash my feet on a day to day  basis whom I  take for granted. The unnamed person who keeps the washrooms clean, lifts the  garbage and those ‘who only stand and wait’ to make our daily lives easier and cleaner. They do more than wash our feet. I am not sure we are able to show our gratitude to them. 

Today we find that it is not just the feet that need cleaning, but also our hearts. When we start with the feet using the towel of humility, in doing what is needed to be done, we would certainly touch the hearts of others. My heart sure was touched while being served. Let's therefore help each other fill our basins with gratitude when receiving acts of service done in humility.

Achieving Excellence – Completing the Last Mile

In a long journey, the last mile becomes critical in actually reaching your destination and achieving your goals. Long journeys can be arduous and boring, when short supply of resources like time, food and water can cloud our judgement... even the best are bound to make errors. This can also happen when you are executing mission critical projects or assignments, where all deadlines are being met and yet, at the last 5% of the project, there could be issues which impede you from achieving your goals. This actually  prevents  you  achieving  excellence in your chosen field.

Interestingly, there is a narrative in the Bible of three wise men who made an error of judgement in the last mile of their journey. The wise men of that time, similar to the Subject Matter Expert ( SME) of today, did their research and deep study on their field of expertise. They understood that a King was born, by reading the literature of that time and matching it with the symbols and events. Their study revealed that the prophecy was being fulfilled through a bright star being seen in the East, so they decided to follow this bright star to lead them to their destination. Their purpose was to worship the King who was born at that time.

They had a journey of about 1300 kilometres from Babylon to Bethlehem, had they taken the main trade route. In those days the average speed was 32 kilometres per day by a camel caravan. Therefore the journey would have taken at least about 40 days. They would have taken a small entourage to provide for their needs and the needs of the camels. In essence, there was planning, detailing and providing for resources. They were clear on what was needed and they followed the star in their journey. 

As they came close to their destination, perhaps about the last 10 kilometres, they let their instinct decide, instead of following the star. In their judgement they assumed that the king had to be in a palace. They took their sight away from their source of guidance and instead, relied on their assumption. 

They meet the ruling king at that time and ask him, "Where is he who was born king of the Jews?", which sent alarm bells ringing in the kings mind. An alarm in the kings mind was panic in the hearts of his subjects. This falter turned fatal for scores of children who were below two years, as the king did not want any rival to his throne. I am not sure if these wise men ever learnt of the consequences of their falter.

There are a few learnings for Project Leaders and Business Heads from this little episode. Most professionals  believe they are on the path to excellence.  Having clarity of purpose is not enough, it is important to set the right goal and stay focussed on it.  A review of the goal is important as we reach important milestones. Overconfidence, common assumptions, hearsay could make you falter and deviate from reaching your goal.  Completing the last mile is important to achieve excellence  in your  chosen field. 

It is important to also remember that when one deviates from the goal, there is a price to pay. Unfortunately in this incident a few scores of innocents paid for this falter. Therefore Leadership is a responsibility and as Leaders, we are called to lead wisely.