This was something that was a given, for most of us in our generation. You worked as hard as you could and you ensured that you did your best. That gave you immense satisfaction. That is what Professional Pride is all about.
My first Boss, Mathew Chandy taught me most of the lessons I needed to learn in making myself a better team member and later a manager. I remember the year that Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated, 1984 October. The rains were very heavy and Madras ( now Chennai) was flooded ( not like nowadays though) and offices were shut. Suddenly I remembered what had just happened in our Bangalore branch where water entered the store and many bags of cement got damaged. Cement was a precious commodity in those days.
I got onto my Moped, wearing a raincoat and went from YMCA Royapettah ( where I was staying) to my site at Alwarpet, in the rain. I pushed my moped when it stopped and rode when I could, till I reached the site. When I went there I saw that the cement was stocked properly and there was no damage that was likely to happen. No one knew about this in my company as only the watchman knew I came there. However, I was able to sleep well in the afternoon and enjoy the rain as I knew I had done my duty. That is a part of the feeling of professional pride. Doing what you must come rain or sunshine.
Cricket as an analogy
I must always bring cricket in to any chat or writing. I was one of those fans who rarely insulted or abused the players of the Indian cricket team in the days when we lost or drew more matches than we won. Many of today’s ‘fans’ will not know that there was a time when Australia never toured India for almost ten years or maybe more, you can guess why. There was a time when top players of the opposition gave a tour of India the skip. We were not worthy opponents on many occasions.
What I always felt was that our players were trying their very best. They were playing for the pride of the Cap they wore – in other words Professional pride. They were many who were not good enough but boy, did they try? Of course they did. Even when all was falling around him Sunil Gavaskar stood tall in the 70’s and 80’s. He was not as popular as Vishwanath but , he put a high price on his wicket. That was Professional pride. Watching Rahul Dravid, unbeaten with a century to his name, coming out to open the batting when India were asked to follow on in the Oval test of 2011, 38 years old, tired and weary, but answering the call of the team – that is professional pride.
In tennis, most of the top players compete for pride rather than money, after a point. My favourite tennis player of the last decade and more was/is Djokovic. In my view he is still competing for professional pride. Why else is he doing what he is doing?
Sadly, this concept is not understood by many, in today’s world.
Why do some people not give up at work?
There are many reasons for that. We can call it many things . However, it centres on Professional pride. We may never know it but the people fighting it, at that moment, will not think of why they are fighting. They just know that they must do their best and give it everything they have.
There is a development where I have been locked in a battle of my life with three sets of people. On one occasion I was summoned to the Karnataka High Court and called by the Bench to state my views. It was a peculiar situation for opposite me was the highest paid and possibly senior most lawyer of the state. I spoke for twenty minutes, answered questions and even countered the respected gentleman. When I finished my vest was soaked in sweat. The junior of my law firm asked why I was aggressive against a revered senior – I said, for him it’s only a job, for me, it’s my life.
That is professional pride. Doing your best in very difficult circumstances. You may wonder why I am writing on this subject. Well, it is because of a conversation I had with a member I was battling in the above development.
He mockingly asked me -‘Why do you want to continue and finish the work? Why are you still here?’. For a moment I was flabbergasted. The man and his team had been trying every trick in the book to harass and destroy us and yet, he couldn’t understand why I was still standing up. I told him, ‘You do not know me at all. I have my self esteem and Professional pride to answer to. You will not understand that.
I still remember that I would take many of my guests who came to Nusa Dua, Whitefield, where we live, and which we built, to show them the basement of the building. You may wonder why, well, it was because there was a whole slab on top that held on it a garden full of tress, shrubs, lawns, water bodies etc and it did not leak. This was something I was proud of, in a sector where leaks were common place.
We need to be proud of what we do. We also need to set an example for those around us, our children and their children who should be able to say – he/she never gave in easily. They always tried their best. They had pride in their work – they had Professional Pride.
Asgard Thor is Koshy Varghese
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