INITIATIVE: A MANAGER HE WAS !

There were serious objections. Whether a certificate showing the wage particulars could be issued to an employee? If that could be issued, should it be in a particular format? And again, if a format is to be used, whether the certificate could be issued using an official letter head? All these and more trivial questions were raised by the department.

The department was adamant that the certificate could be issued only in a pre-printed format. Even the details cannot be copied on a letter head.

But the employee insisted, he may be issued a certificate using letter-head and not the pre-printed stationery, since the bank to which the certificate was to be produced had insisted for such a certificate.

Finally the employee approached the manager of the department direct. To the surprise and embarrassment of the persons who dealt with the matter in the department, manager merely signed the certificate typed on official letter head. He didn't ask for pre-printed stationery. Nor did he raise any other question. He only ensured that the figures typed in the certificate were correct. And he didn't seem to bother about anything else.

The former who raised objections was an "official" brought up by the organisation and the latter "a young blood" manager infused to the organisation by direct recruitment!

The manager and the employee, who managed a certificate on a letterhead of the office, moved to a new department by a sheer element of chance. And this blend of a manager who didn't look at things in a conventional way and the other person who too had different and at times novel ideas made a "mess" of things in their new department. At least some people thought so.

To the chagrin of those who worked in the department, there developed a sudden situation where changes in work procedures were brought about by the assistant and the manager went on giving the nod for its implementation. That was a helpless situation for others in the department.

Their cooperation was not very much required for the implementation of the new work procedures. The person who conceived the idea and prepared the necessary forms and formats for executing the work in the revised pattern had taken upon himself the responsibility of doing the work also. And so, what others thought on the subject was not at all a matter of worry for the time being.

When the entire work procedure was devised and necessary supporting materials were also introduced, it was time to hand over the work. But, handover to whom? Those in the department including the section officer thought that the manager would "burn his fingers" for introducing the new procedure and the administrative manuals for executing the work.

The assistant who had prepared the new method of work was to move to a branch centre on promotion. Now who will step into the shoes of the assistant was the immediate problem? The manager of the department solved this problem immediately. He got a lady assistant, who was fresh from the college and newly recruited by the organisation, posted to the department. She was entrusted with the follow up work. Since she was working independently, nobody was able to make any foul play to stall the progress of work.

Despite the hue and cry raised by a section of employees, work went on along the dotted lines. That was a great success. There was tremendous increase in the quantum of housing loans disbursed. Productivity improved. And compared to departments in other parts of the country which worked on the old pattern, there was phenomenal increase in the volume of work executed.

Disbursement of housing loans increased to such an extent that the department had the coveted position of being number one in the country. There were celebrations in the department. But the manager and his assistant had moved to other departments and celebrations took place in their absence only.

……

Years later, manager was happily spending his time after retirement at his native town.

One day the assistant met him at his place. He asked his former manager: "Sir, you always permitted me to implement things I wanted. Why you supported me to that extent?"

Sudden came his answer: "It was my selfishness". He did not elaborate.

Perhaps he meant, through the assistant, he was doing his own work!

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