Introduction
The blog writing was initiated in order to showcase
the learning and the understanding portrayed
during the session by Dr. Prasad (or Mandi as we all famously know him). Even though I
was not present for his session, the feedback and the reviews received created
that eagerness in me to know more about what went on during those 2 hours that
students were in high spirits after the lecture.
The session started with a couple of bold statements
"Socho Becho , Becho Seekho , Seekho Socho" and " Aaj Ki Roti
Aaj Hi Kamaana". The 2nd statement
just shook our bases of belief which were embedded and etched into our heads
since our school days that we should always plan things in advance and always
keeps planning as long as we are here. The planning can be as short as your
next moment and as long as a decade.
The emphasis was laid on the fact that we should not
think too much into the future by negating our daily to day planning.
Class Activity
An activity was conducted to showcase the importance
of goal setting. The goals one sets have to SMART. The word SMART here doesn’t actually
mean the word we use in our day to day life.
SMART stands for
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Timely.
In order to showcase the importance of SMART, an activity
was organized called the “Tower Challenge”. The activity seemed simple in a
sense that one just had to put blocks on top of one another to make a tall building.
But there was a small twist. The person arranging the blocks was blindfolded
and had to use his ODD hand. The person was assisted by a second person who
would guide the blind folded person as to where to place the block to make sure
that the test is done effectively. A new character, a third person was there who
was allowed to intervene only for a limited number of times. All three working
in tandem were required to build the tower.Take Away
Realistically we could relate the three persons involved
in the activity to the employee, the middle manager and the higher management.
The employee was the person who was arranging the
blocks while the second person assisting the employee could be related to the
middle management and the other person could be related to the top management.
Due to the organizational structure prevalent, it is
the middle management that is in constant touch with the employee or executive
to ensure that the goals are achieved properly. The middle management takes
care of the day to day activity and the top management interferes only when
required.
How was SMART relevant to this?
S(Specific) – the specific target of 17 blocks was
set
M (Measurable) – The height of the tower could be
measured by counting the number of blocks
A (Achievable) – The goal set was pretty much
achievable because the similar target was achieved even the previous year
R (Realistic) – the goal was realistic because the
similar target was achieved even earlier.
T (Time Bound) – the time in which the activity was
to be completed was mentioned.
The most take away from the session/activity was proper
coordination between all the groups concerned, all goals are attainable. Apart from
just the coordination, communication is an important asset for proper functioning.
Without effective communication the person blindfolded wouldn’t have been able
to able to put even one block let alone building a tower.
The session also taught as to introspect after the target
has been achieved. That would help us in not repeating those mistakes.
Sessions like these would make learning a very
memorable experience.
Cheers!!
