So long farewell..

This might be my last post for quite sometime as we all leave for a looong vacation, which my kids will refer to sometime in the future as the 'Summer our parents went crazy'...

Anyway, I have been pondering about this for sometime now... what makes some people successful in their career? Though we easily say 'right time and right place', lucky, and whatever else we usually attribute growth in the job... I wanted to look a little deeper to see if there is anything else

Recently, I was talking to my husband on what is non-negotiable when it comes to our kids - respect to elders, kind human beings were 2 things we could agree to! Srinivas wanted to add discipline to the list but somehow for me that is like brushing teeth, something that needs to be inculcated as a habit...

However, at work I think the little sister of discipline - work ethics or integrity is a very important. I remember from the very first days at Dell, there were some people from my same "gang" who used to take it easy! Which means they didn't give their all, and I wondered how important it is? But now as I look back at the 2 decades that all of us have completed in our careers - the ones with the highest work ethics are most successful, and not the most intelligent and even the most smartest!

Let me break down by asking a few questions?

1. When you have an important deadline - do you arrive late at work? Or leave early?
2. When you have not so important deadline at work, do you fall sick? 
3. How focused are you at a problem when you are working on a single issue for few days/ weeks? Does this problem at work keep you up at night?
4. What are your thoughts on FB scrolling or Insta? I am not even sure what is the latest social media that is being used inside a office firewall? Question is not how distracted you are at work, more around do you feel guilty around using office resources for personal reasons during of course - office time!
5. How about watching your favorite Netflix show while on a boring, and long call?

None of the answers to these questions need to be discussed with anyone! Only for your own internal assessment on how uptight you are ! Or as some would call it, how strong is your work integrity

Now don't get me wrong, I am guilty of much of the above from time to time... but what I have noticed is, I lose interest in my job before I commit such follies (in my humble opinion!). Once my boss told me, she was married 3 times and she said this - You never cheat in a successful marriage, it is usually failing and you jump ship! Words of true wisdom (And experience), she managed to succinctly say that you feel like straying or in this case - use your company time for personal work, not own a deliverable as you need to, show accountability and ownership... when you don't have that drive or simply interest..

You can call it anything, but I have come to realize is - you either have it or you don't... but I am a strong believer, all skills in life can be learned, cultivated and eventually become an expert on!