Compassionate Management
- Soumya Agastya
- Jun 16, 2017
- 4 min read
Coming from a tech world - I have managed and mentored people over 22 years in physics, mathematics, VLSI, discussions on algorithms and solutions in synthesis, STA, formal verification, prototyping, placement, floor planning, IPs - gives you sufficient STEM Experience. Also on the ART side, over 25 years, I have managed and mentored people on art, theater, producing plays, costume design, painting, design, music and dance. I am grateful, to have been given a combined STEAM exposure, to learn from their experiences, their knowledge and people belonging to various professions coming together for a common cause, passion. Art also helps productivity at work as in this study
I volunteer my time for Naatak (www.naatak.org) and have the pleasure of working with over 1000 people, over 56 plays. We all have a great time acting, dancing, singing, building sets, costume design, props, cooking, ushering for the plays - no job is menial. People are excited to do what they are good at, are passionate about. And as a leader it is our duty to nurture everyone.
I focus on compassion, love and a caring attitude towards everyone – people always came back play after play to help as they find the group warm and welcoming. Volunteers don't come back if it is too stressful and cut-throat. Todays work force has become very fearful and not rewarding. I can elaborate using some stories and how I take the compassionate attitude from the ART world to the Tech world while being productive and results-oriented.
When I quit my work one time due to health reasons, I did not send an email, instead I walked to cubes, offices, in various buildings trying to catch a number of people I knew to say goodbye. It is a happy feeling I get when I tell people how I felt, rather than an emotion-free email - thanks to emojis there is some now. All my colleagues, bosses, friends, customers, cross-functional team members, chefs of our cafeteria, cleaning lady, security people appreciated it. One said, "I am going to miss the laughs and smile you bring to us daily". Another said, "I will miss the stories you tell during the lunch table and get us motivated". Third said "I like the way you connect to people, listen to them and guide them without having any personal agenda". This went on over few days as I bid goodbye and every time I was so thankful to hear what people told me and they wished me from the bottom of their heart. That was enough for me - I felt a great sense of happiness and satisfaction. This is what I learnt in the theater world, which I took to the tech. No WIIFM (Whats In It For Me) and help people to learn a new skill and be independent, you create motivation, passion in people that they love to come back.
One day I sat at the lunch table with many interns whom I hadn't met. My 2 interns were picking their lunch from the Cafe. There were people from various groups - so a round of introduction went. One of them even asked me who I was interning for? - Yes, she made my day!!. When I told her my name and what I did, she was surprised. Possibly, she thought I was a graduate or a new employee as senior folks probably did not sit with them in their tables or even better she thought I was 20 years younger :). I found a new respect coming from these young boys and girls and I started a group mentoring lesson as they felt the need for it. I am continuing it today with MentorMe - a free and volunteer program.
The fourth musical I am producing - Toba Tek Singh – is based on Manto’s story of a lunatic asylum during the Indo-Pak Partition in 1947. Musicals from Naatak are of very high quality, a great evening spent with theater, music and dance filled with humor, action and drama – a powerful message is built–in. The sheer amount of work involves over 120 people, logistics, rehearsals, coordination of music, cast, dance, costume, sets, props etc. teaches you to be humane, being nice and friendly to people – brings immense satisfaction as all of us are volunteers. People work very hard as they are passionate, keep up the quality and feel united - working for a common cause. I have experienced the same feeling with my team at workforce. My team has often told me how they are treated very well, with care and they too work very hard when I have a deadline to present to a customer or upper management. My colleagues and management would concur – how our team delivers on time with high quality. Project and time management are easier when you have happy people. Yelling, speaking rudely or finger pointing is a common problem in todays tech world. I encourage you all to try the alternate – compassionate management – you will see better results and is self-motivating and satisfying above all.
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion, if you want to be happy, practice compassion - Dalai Llama"
I could rattle on and on with many such stories but for next time when I touch on unconscious bias or work-life balance or another topic of the month.
Soumya Agastya Producer of Toba Tek Singh , Founder of MentorMe
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