Power, privilege, corruption, hypocrisy..!!!!

There is nothing to be proud of India's ranking in the Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2009. The country ranked low also in the Bribe Payers Index among emerging economic giants. The use of public funds for private gain is common. The misuse of power, position and privilege is widespread. Corruption seems to be a fact that affects all sections of society.

Misappropriation of public funds and acquisition of ill-gotten wealth are clearly illegal. However, subtler forms of non-material corruption, coupled with abuse of power and misuse of privilege, are equally prevalent but not often debated.

Power corrupts: Lord Acton said: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This aphorism is widely acknowledged as true. William Pitt, the Elder, a British Prime Minister, echoed similar sentiments when he said “unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.” Both seem to have based their observations on anecdotal evidence rather than formal research. The systematic enquiry and evaluation of evidence in social sciences were not standard in their times.

Corrupts absolutely: Recent research confirms Lord Acton's dictum that power corrupts. Contemporary research has focussed on issues related to power and on the state of powerfulness and powerlessness; on how power affects people's behaviour and thinking. The evidence suggests that people who believe that they deserve their power and position are morally pliable and more prone to abuse their privileges. Studies have documented that power and hypocrisy go hand in hand as the powerful feel a sense of entitlement; their sense of privilege become private law. The culture of entitlement results in double standards, one for themselves, their family and friends, and the other for the general population. Such use of divergent values and principles by the individuals involved results in hypocrisy. One could argue that corruption and hypocrisy are the price society pays for being led by the privileged.

Power attracts: Anecdotal evidence also suggests that power attracts the corruptible. This may be particularly true when systems are steeped in or breed corruption. If organisational structures provide greater and illegitimate influence with the rise in status within institutional hierarchies, then loftier titles and higher ranks mean illicit power. Power will attract those who seek to use and misuse such licence for their own ends.

Power and corruption seem to have a complex and bidirectional relationship. In societies which accept corruption as part of life, power appears to attract the corrupt and those in power encourage corruption. These associations seem to work on the whole, with exceptions proving the rule.

Privilege empowers: Even a cursory analysis of the powerful clearly documents the fact that privilege is almost always the route to power. Privileged education, in private schools, provides the platform for future unassailable confidence, disarming sincerity, captivating charm and understated authority. It also makes for articulate and confident individuals with high self-esteem. The combination of parental aspirations, family resources and excellent education lays a firm foundation for later success. Children's levels of achievement are usually closely linked to their parents' background. The privileged background of many elected representatives also argues that many advantages are inherited rather than inherent.

Spectrum of corruption: Corruption in its broadest sense is not restricted to financial irregularities. The abuse of religion, language, ethnicity, kinship, privilege and position also comes under this rubric. Such misuse is also a form of moral fraud. However, these may be in the form of “softer” violations which, though equally fraudulent, are much more difficult to recognise, quantify, track and document. While moral corruption may be universal, it tends to spread like wildfire when it is accepted as the norm at the top of an organisational hierarchy and within institutions and populations.

Conflicts of interest: It is widely recognised that related and unrelated interests can, directly or indirectly, influence decision-making; specific interests can prejudice appraisals and consequently bias judgments. It is always good policy that interests are declared and conflicts evaluated in people who are entrusted with impartial decision-making. The presence of conflicts of interest is independent of any execution of impropriety. Many organisations now mandate that such financial and other interests be declared prior to appointments to decision-making bodies. Removal, disclosure, recusal and third-party evaluations are different methods of managing them.

Individuals and systems: Power and privilege are usually institutionalised and are part of systems and organisations. Organisational support for unaccountable power often causes individuals who occupy top positions to fail to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate use of such power and privilege. The line between these is often very fine, with many individuals unable to see the difference. Even honest individuals may unquestionably accept their positions and consequent power without realising its impact on their functioning. Their intelligence, diligence, strategic planning and hard work to reach the higher echelons of their organisation may propel them to believe that their position and privilege are well deserved. Such feelings of entitlement often result in double standards and consequent hypocrisy. Even the most scrupulous people can be caught in such situations when they come up with ill-conceived schemes and proposals, or when they want to rigidly maintain status quo, despite evidence of a need for change.

The corruptible actively seek power to enhance their position and privileges, and in pursuit of more unaccountable authority. Systems, which encourage corruption and which have normalised illegitimate power, support such people's sense of entitlement, thus furthering their original aims of acquiring public power for private gain.

Corruption and India: While no society is free from corruption, what is worrying is that such behaviour appears normalised in India. The licence raj of the past did not help. Capitalism, globalisation and liberalisation have also increased the pressure to succeed, achieve targets and acquire wealth quickly. The abuse of public power, office and resources for personal gain is common. A culture, which declares conflicts of interests and institutes systems to assess them, is rare and yet to take hold in India.

No organisation is immune to the abuse of power. The intense desire to leave lasting legacies and to make significant changes in institutional direction and function often result in decision-makers short-circuiting standard procedures. The culture of sycophancy, common in our culture and society, aids and abets in such corruption. Double standards in public life are accepted; hypocrisy is tolerated and is the norm.

The way forward

We need to focus on power and highlight the abuse of privileges. Corruption does not necessarily imply financial fraud. All of us need to examine ourselves as individuals to identify, minimise and eliminate double standards and hypocrisy. We need to audit our systems and institutions to change the culture, which breeds such corruption. The task is to identify power, which comes with position, to recognise conflicts of interest and to detect feelings of entitlement, which turn the privilege of office into private law. The struggle is not a one-time affair in the lives of individuals, systems and communities but a constant quest, a journey. Society should allow for greater social mobility for wider social participation and greater equality.

There is need to re-examine our culture, which has normalised corruption in its many different forms. We in India need to acknowledge the need for introspection on our acceptance of the abuse of power. The “Seven Nolan Principles of Public Life” — selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership by example — should form the standards for holding public office. There should be regular and independent reviews of individual and organisational functioning. The challenge is to inspire and change individuals and to transcend and transform societal norms.

Happy Reading..!!!!

Cheerless outlook on crucial goals...!!!!

The conclusions of the United Nations summit on the world's progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) present a gloomy picture. Some goals such as universal primary education, reducing child mortality, and improving maternal health are unlikely to be reached by the 2015 deadline. The world may be on track to meet the target of halving the number of people living under $1 a day, but the numbers suffering from hunger and malnutrition have risen between 2007 and 2009; one in four children in developing countries is still underweight. Employment has declined. Gender equality is elusive. Ditto for environmental sustainability — the rate of deforestation is declining but remains alarmingly high; the 2010 target on biodiversity conservation has been missed. The target of halving the number of people without access to drinking water can be achieved, but not so the number without access to sanitation. The U.N. fears that the progress made in some areas is “fragile” and if the world drops the ball on commitment and funding, even these limited gains may be reversed. Indeed, building a global partnership on development is one of the MDGs, but as the U.N. notes, only five donor countries have allocated the targeted 0.7 per cent of their gross national income for official aid.

Part of the U.N. Millennium Development Declaration in 2000, the eight MDGs were accepted by member-states and 23 international organisations who pledged to improve the lives of the world's most impoverished people. Yet, as the U.N. has noted, inadequate resources, lack of focus and accountability, and insufficient dedication to sustainable development are the main culprits in the unsatisfactory march towards meeting the 21 MDG targets. In India, the government's optimism, reflected in its country report released in June, that many of the MDG targets can be met by 2015, is hard to share. While the report estimates 27.5 per cent of Indians lived below the poverty line in 2004-05, compared to 36 per cent in 1994-95, the methodology for arriving at this figure is disputed. The U.N. differs with India's claims on reducing maternal mortality. The country is nowhere near reducing child mortality to the targeted 42 per 1,000 live births. Nearly half the under-five children are malnourished. Bringing this down to 26.8 per cent in five more years is impossible. India will also clearly miss the deadline for universal primary education. The failures are a reminder of the dismal truth — despite India's impressive economic growth over the last decade since the MDGs were accepted as policy goals, large chunks of the country have yet to benefit from it.

We say something and do the opposite...!!!!

Hypocrisy is an attribute prevalent in all humans. We say something and do quite the opposite, sometimes without even realising it !

We talk of beauty lying beneath the skin and yet we find women — and men — buying ‘beauty' products that promise a lighter skin tone.

Their adverts shamelessly declare that unless you are fairer, everyone will look down upon you. Their makers rely on our insecurity and make a fortune out of it. If these products really worked, racism would never have entered the dictionary.

We put up lights during Christmas but how many of us even acknowledge Eid? The subtle changes in behaviour towards different communities almost always go unnoticed.

This happens despite Islam being the second largest religion of the country. ‘Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai' has been a gimmick since the days of independence. Muslims are yet to get the respect they deserve.

And last but not the least, the eternal saying “men and women are equal in every field”. Really? In every field? How many movies with a woman as their lead has Bollywood shown us? Even if such films are released, they get tagged as ‘offbeat'; something that the normal public doesn't like. All normal public likes are skimpily-clad women seeking protection in a man. It has taken us 60 years to move a woman's bill. In Saudi Arabian courts, a man's statement is worth two women's. America, with more than 200 years of democracy, is yet to have a woman president. How can we still claim that men and women are equal?

These instances and several others show that subconsciously we are still the same narrow-minded fools. Had we really believed in what we preach then the world would have become a far better place to live in.

Happy Reading...!!!!

Creativity..!!!

They say it’s thinking outside the box,

It’s a shining torch to help you when you are desperately lost.
It’s like the magic wand,
Giving you the instant solution to the problem at hand;
Seems like a very instantaneous process,
Almost a master work of a genius…

In short it’s that elusive term for which we seek to find a definition, without a proper explanation!
Creativity is one of the most misunderstood words… no one knows what it means, how it works! What we only see is a creative person coming up with a solution at the time when all fails, and we think, “Oh, my! What a genius!” missing the fact that there has been a lot of cognitive effort which has been dedicated to.
We must first realize that creativity is not something that you have or not have; it’s only a more organized way of thinking! Just by thinking right you can use creativity to your advantage. All you need is a problem to solve and the dedication to follow the 4

Simple steps to Creativity:
Preparation:
This involves collecting the relevant data or information pertinent to the problem. We often underestimate the importance of this process and want to find solutions to our problems without knowing much about them…this in all possibility leads to disastrous consequences!

Incubation:
Considering that you have taken a lot of pains to gather the relevant facts and figures, you’d know that its’ quite a bulk of information which you have gathered… (If not, check again- you might be missing on something!). This information needs some time to be assimilated and understood carefully, and you need to give it some time, before you can come to any logical conclusion. It is also in this stage, that as you are getting and understanding the information provided to you, the process of finding the effective solution begins, where you explore the different options which can be used, or choose the one which is best suited.

Illumination:
In the previous stage, our mind is working simultaneously on gathering information on the problem as well as finding effective solutions to it; therefore it is obvious that getting a solution would not be as easy as thought, and might take a considerable amount of time. This may be quite frustrating at times, and there may be a moment where you just want to ‘shut off, and take a break’, or simply not think about it. It is at this time, where one has the “Aha-Eureka” experience of getting a solution.

The reason this works is because, when you are consciously shutting yourself from the problem, the process still continues into the undisturbed chambers of your unconscious mind, to give you an effective solution. Our mind has the uncanny ability to process and form connections between pieces of information even without our awareness, encouraged by the structure and the neuronal networks.
Since the revelation is sudden, having a notebook and a pen to note down the solution is advisable

Verification and Implementation:
After having found the appropriate solution, it needs to be tested to see if it satisfactorily solves the problem. Frequently the insight turns out to be unsatisfactory, and the thinker is back at the beginning of the creative process. In other cases, the insight is generally satisfactory but needs some modification for it to be a really “good” idea.

So there you have it!

Four simple steps and you are a creative person, and an effective problem solver. These steps are not mutually exclusive of each other, and neither do they have to follow the same order. They can be repeated in the entire process, and there are no rules how long a particular step should take.

Summing up the entire process; it’s rightly said, “It’s like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” -E. L. Doctorow

Creativity is no longer an elusive term now, and with a little effort, almost everyone can be a genius at it!...

Happy Reading...!!!!

Understanding hard skills and soft skills..!!

In the 1970s and 80s, recruitment in companies and growth in the career were measured in terms of hard skills possessed by a candidate.

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The first step in developing good soft skills is to unlearn the negative traits developed and re-learn.

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One of the fashionable terms floating around these days is “soft skills.” But what exactly are these soft skills? If we have a term ‘soft skill', does that mean there are also skills which are hard?

‘Skill' as defined by the Oxford Dictionary is “The ability to do something well.” And management gurus relate soft skills to emotional quotient and define soft skills as “a cluster of personality traits.”

During the 1970s and 80s, recruitment in companies and later growth in the career were measured in terms of hard skills (Intelligence Quotient) possessed by a person.

“These included knowledge in a particular field, experience in working on a set of machines, ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical use, logical and analytical reasoning, etc. Most of these skills are generally imparted as a part of the academic curriculum at school and college and therefore an academically successful student was expected to succeed in life and career too.

However, over a period of time, the dynamically changing society, technology and economy have brought about a phenomenal shift in the skills required for a person to succeed in career and life.

“This sea change was precipitated by many developments which inter alia include the macro-economic shift from secondary sector to tertiary sector, the enhanced complexities in work places like the increased emphasis on team work, greater participation of women and the concomitant gender sensitivity and also superior benchmarks of quality and pace,” says Mohammed Abdullah, director of Conduira, a training and placement institution.

Recent studies clearly point out the fact that irrespective of the industry, job type or rank, there are a few traits that high performing individuals possess.

“Typically, soft skills can be defined as the skill that enables an individual to engage and interact effectively with others, obtain acceptance, build consensus and provide assistance, leadership and direction,” says P.V. Rama Sasank of Conduira.

The hard skills are usually easy to observe, quantify and measure and thus easy to train and acquire.

However, soft skills — being more behavioural in nature — are a result of various influences and interactions one has had in his or her life since childhood. These influences have long term implications — both positive and negative.

Hence, most of the individuals, by the time they reach an age of employability, already possess a few soft skills — positive as well as negative — and therefore soft skill training includes a lot of unlearning and re-learning issues.

“Many students confuse the concept of soft skills with English communication skills. This is not really true. Communication skills are very much a part of the soft skills, but only a ‘part'.

Soft skills go much further enabling the individual to discharge his or her responsibilities in the most effective and efficient way possible both at work and at home,”.

What are the soft skills that organisations look for in a candidate who is just entering the workforce? “Primarily the companies look for the ability to learn. In addition, companies today are surmounting geographical barriers and as a result, teams often comprise employees from different cultural and geographical backgrounds.

Being able to appreciate these diverse views and assimilate them is a challenge and recent graduates are expected to adapt to these changes as soon as possible. Further, in a multi-cultural team, an ability to communicate becomes extremely important and fluency in business language English is a must-have requirement rather than just a good-to-have skill. Business meetings over telephone are norm of the day and e-mail has become the standard business communication. Therefore a student is expected to have good written communication skills too — non-ambiguity, conciseness and crispness being the desired parameters.

The biggest challenge, a student faces when he is on board, is the ability to work in a team. “And last but not the least, companies often place good faith in their employees and often give them sizeable responsibilities very early in their career. It is not surprising to find a 25-year-old leading a 30-member team and being responsible for revenues up to Rs. 500 crore. In such a scenario, ethics and integrity become supremely important,”.

The first step in developing good soft skills is to unlearn the negative traits developed and re-learn. Unless they have seen success in applying a new skill or method, they are not convinced that a change is required.

What's the name of your gift ????????

September 5 is Teachers' Day. A look at how some teachers touch the hearts of their students. Just a bit of kindness, a dash of wisdom and a sprinkling of love.

Sakshi raced up the stairs her schoolbag dangling from her shoulder. She guessed it right. Her friends were chatting in the corridor. While nudging her way past the other children so she could spend a few minutes with her friends before her teacher arrived, she collided with someone she thought she should not have. Her class teacher looked bemused. Sakshi blinked innocently. Her snack bag with water bottle almost fell when her teacher asked, “Can I keep it for you?”

Abdul thinks the world of his teacher who doesn't speak English very well. Her voice is not sweet for she has to be really loud in class so that even the sleepiest child is attentive. She is well mannered and gentle but does not accept excuses. Children flock round her table and ask how her Sunday was. They also know that if they hadn't done their homework, they will be made to miss activity period. Abdul, however, has only one thing to say. For all the years he will have to spend in school, he wishes his teacher would be promoted along with him, from one class to the other.

They care

Netra and Surya cannot stop talking about their teacher. “Oh she is so good,” they say. “Good?” I ask. “How do you know she is good?” Summer holidays were longer than usual but when school reopened textbooks weren't ready. Only one book was available and that was with the teacher. But when lessons were taught, the entire class would follow word by word as the teacher read aloud from the book. How? The teacher would, every single day, write down the page to be taught on the blackboard, till textbooks were given to the children ten days later. “Our teacher wanted us to know what she was reading. She made sure we didn't take our eyes off the board. We love her for writing out pages for us,” they say.

Do children really care if their teacher taught them well or not? Of course they do. Every student has an ability to evaluate the teacher. They can quickly identify the teacher who knows the job from the one who doesn't. In fact, behaviour patterns of the students largely depend on the kind of teacher they have.

Ved keeps asking his teacher why she wears more than one ring on her finger. If wedding ring was one, what was the other for? Dayanita likes it when her teacher pleats her saree and pins it to her blouse. She says it makes her look “neat”. Even mannerisms are made much of. The teacher who nods her head with a smile is remembered and spoken fondly of.

It is hard to believe but true. Children seem to appreciate the teacher who bothers to ask why they missed school when they get back after a day's leave. And when the teacher is away for a day, she is enquired of her absence too, the very next day!

Who's a “good teacher”? Taking notes from what children look for in a teacher, it is fair to call a good teacher a gift. The child who gets to learn from such a teacher is gifted. Creative wisdom, beauty of character, a kind heart and knowledge that endures are wished for every teacher today.

Deepti's views sum up the need every child feels for in a teacher. “I am fine in school. My teacher is like a mother. Just one more exam to go and I can do what I want. My teacher said so.” I turn to the teacher. Deepti had been asking her teacher if she could wear nail polish to school. The teacher had said yes, a white polish, after the exams!

A celebration

September 5 is the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. He was a diplomat, scholar, philosopher and the President of India. It is in his memory that this day is celebrated as Teachers' Day.

In 1962, when he was the President some of his students wanted to celebrate his birthday. But Dr. Radhakrishnan said, “instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers' day”. From then on, the day has been observed as Teachers' Day in India.

The soldier needs the nation's attention..!!!

India today exists in a seriously embattled security environment, more than ever in the last 63 years, with external military threats and the difficult situation in Kashmir, besides the Naxalite movement having acquired dangerously devious contours. Our armed forces have determinedly and innovatively strategised to meet the expanded threats.

Our armed forces have won wars and tackled insurgency and terrorism with effective leadership and sacrifices. The accounts of their bravery and valour are well known. Their morale is high and the men and soldiers are highly motivated to safeguard the nation's sovereignty and integrity.

Though the Army has not fought a full-blown war in the last three decades, it is bogged down in fighting domestic insurgencies, guarding the restive borders, responding to requests for quelling civil riots, tackling insurgency, and terrorism, and rescue operations during natural calamities. These have a put a tremendous stress and strain on the soldiers.

Surprisingly, there has been a sharp rise in suicides in the Army in the past five years. The trend in the third largest and one of the best disciplined armies in the world is a cause for grave concern. Over 100 soldiers have taken their lives in last three years under extreme pressure, mainly poor service conditions leading to frustration or rebellion.

Discipline is also becoming a casualty. The armed forces have held a staggering 6,000 courts martial since 2000. The latest statistics show that the Army alone court-martialled 1,215 soldiers in 2000; 1,034 in 2001; 1,031 in 2002; 945 in 2003; and 872 in 2004. In just the last two years, over 20 rape and 10 murder charges have been levelled against soldiers.

And it is not only the “lower ranks” that have been afflicted. It is true even of officers. Last year, around 30 officers were convicted in court martial proceedings. But, unlike other agencies, the armed forces deal “swiftly and effectively'' with “aberrations and delinquents.”

Of late, even a Lieutenant-General and two other general officers have been in trouble for alleged involvement in West Bengal's Sukna land scam. A retired General has also been court-martialled in a scam over provision of unhygienic food to the troops in Siachen.

What the services need is high quality leadership which can motivate the rank and file in times of challenges. One reason for poor leadership is that the military is the last priority for bright young men due to various factors.

The soldiers' pay and allowances are less than that of a skilled labour in industry. The defence forces are the lowest paid service and in a state of neglect. Our soldiers retire at the age of 34 in the prime of their youth when they face loads of responsibilities. The officers retire at an average age of 52 when they have another 15 productive years.

Then there is no coordination between the Ministries of Home and Defence; otherwise, all the officers could have served up to 60 years through lateral entry. Fourth, the downtrend in the warrant of precedence has brought down the image of the defence services.

Finally, deterioration and corruption in all walks of life — our politicians, educationists, media barons, bureaucrats and even judges are not immune to the ills of filthy lucre and moral turpitude. The armed forces too are no exception.