Just a Pause: Make the Water Wetter

I came across this interesting piece of information and just had to share it with you guys. Did you know that soap helps to make the water wetter? Well…. soap reduces the surface tension of water, allowing it to spread more easily. In effect, it makes the water wetter, and therefore more effective."

No, this is not going to be a science lesson. Here soap is equated with emotion. Emotions make whatever we are doing, more effective. And so it applies to our workplace. We humans are emotional beings after all. Credentials and accomplishments are important, but what is more important is revealing the human being from behind the services offered. It"s the human side, which may have nothing to do with the expertise at all, that could prompt people to hire you.

Now that we have succeeded in getting the water wetter, how do we keep it from drying up? Simple, drop it into the ocean.

Yeah! Join an Organization - “The Living System"! Living Systems are those Organizations who see their employees not as some physical or economic entity, but as a human one – “a living thing". And what do living systems need to survive? Identity. Yes. Every living thing has an innate desire to pursue that which he finds fulfilling and meaningful. Interest follows desire and desire comes from within.

It is imperative for an employee to feel a sense of worth, to be treated with respect, to know that he is contributing to the organization in some way other than to the bottom-line. There is no better way to instill a sense of belonging and loyalty. And self-respect would be the icing on the cake.

Though these very noble thoughts exist in HR policy framework…in some organizations, it remains exactly that – thoughts!

Now I could go on and on about how an organization should be and how employees should be treated. But hey, I"m trying to be as real as possible. We don"t want no employees spirits dying just outside the office door. It does happen often enough these days.

What I"m trying to say here is no one is forcing you to work in a particular organization. You either go with the flow or go out. It is an individual"s choice ultimately. Admit, not an easy one at that, especially when these damn emotions of loyalty get in the way. But then you learn that no one else cares either way, expect you yourself. Today no one is indispensable. Mind you, the organization makes no bones about that.

So, why are you in your job? Maybe you are there to make a living for your family. Maybe you are there because the work needs to be done for the good of society. Yeah! To overcome discouragement, one needs to have an attitude that takes the focus off your sense of frustration and remember why your work is valid. Put the emotion back into your work. Emotions are good. Let us make emotions at work fashionable. The organization will automatically become effective through you.

Though each one of us is just a mere drop in the ocean, many such drops prevent the water body from drying up. After all, there has to be water in the first place; only then can we make it wetter!.