Mr. Anoop Sareen,
Senior administrative officer, NIILM CMS writes...
“Everyday I get
up and look through the list of the richest people. If I am not there, I go to
work.” That’s what Robert Orben believes, the American magician who has authored
books and written speeches for presidents of America. Mr. Orben belongs to the
class of people for whom the choice between authority and money will be easier.
However, for the class of people climbing the hierarchical ladder, the
situation will be trickier.
The bottom-line
is that the basis of all existence reduces to earning a ticket to the elusive
destination of ‘self contentment’. The balance generally weighs heavier on the
side where money is the choice; for most of us work to function, not function
to work. In layman terms, most of us are busy earning the basic necessities of
life than to be placed at a pedestrian of honor and be content with lesser
monetary gains. On the other hand, for the social animal power is probably as
important as it quenches man’s ever thirsty ego. Greed for status and a
position of authority is the source of man’s greatest strength and also the
source of his greatest weakness.
So, how does one
move towards development? What is the major factor that contributes to it - Money
or Power? Not all development is attained by money. Many brilliant minds
bestowed with adulations died in dire straits. Their satisfaction lay more in
honor than riches. Consider the civil servants in India. They enjoy more
authority than monetary riches. But in this time and age of survival of the
fittest the question become enigmatic, because at the end of the day the fact
that nothing appeases man is the reason for his development. So the question of
choice is unable to find the answer as this changing world of development is
accommodating new definitions and new words synonymous to power and money. But
this is at the individual level, where different perspectives furnish different
answers. On a broader picture, each individual works for the development of
self and the mass as well, i.e. he cares to contribute. With power come
responsibility and the means to work on a larger scheme of things in which an
individual can give back to the society a better platform. Aiming for power or
authority makes money follow, the reverse may not be true. Authority paints the
illusive ‘self contentment’ in more believable tones for one and all.
Strictly
speaking, for senior managers the question is no different from its generalized
version. After all he is also driven by all that is human. For someone at this
level of the hierarchical ladder, going through the grind of being groomed is
mandatory. As a student he has made the necessary choices on numerous occasions
which might have run into conflict with the morals and his beliefs. It is this
environment that helps shape him into an individual who can differentiate
between his wants and needs and look at the bigger picture. He learns to
develop individually by working for the mass. He is instilled with the right
business ethics which instructs him to strive for the balance between power and
money and also the values, that authority demands, to set a system for his
generation and also the next to come. On an individual level the fight is
perspective driven but when it comes to the society of which he is just a part,
the question is morally driven.
If a senior
manager opts for authority, his ego may often take a hit, if someone of lower
authority makes as much money as he does. If he opts for money, he is stumping
his growth. A senior manager is not expected to have a parochial mindset when
dealing with such conflicting questions. For the generalized definition of
power and money does not contribute to the development in general but only in
particular. His perspectives put authority in a grim light, restricting its
vote, for with authority comes accountability, responsibility and a chance to
make a difference by working in larger scheme of things. It eventually also
paves the path to better monetary gains. At the individual level more money
broadens his definition of basic necessities but at the major level it really
weighs lighter than authority. Let’s just say that a senior manager should go
way beyond his individual (selfish) interest for if he does, authority gives
him a chance to synchronize his perspectives and beliefs to produce music that
is likeable to all ears.
Contact the author at: sareen.anoop@gmail.com, asareen@niilm.com
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