STRESS, SUCCESS AND EVERYTHING IN-BETWEEN
The Highs and Lows of A Woman’s Journey in the Corporate World
41. PAYING BACK IN THE SAME COIN (1982)
That day, the air crackled with anticipation. It was
not a usual workday for the Bank. It was closed to the public, but the banking
hall buzzed with activity. Today was the half-yearly closing, and amidst the
bonhomie of a working but non-working day, there was another reason for
celebration for me. The news of my promotion had just reached the branch, and
the staff, with whom I had shared countless hours of trials and tribulations,
were ecstatic. "Party time!" they chorussed, their enthusiasm warming
the otherwise mundane banking hall.
Till recently, I had revelled in the freedom bestowed
by my previous boss, a delegator extraordinaire. It had been an exhilarating
experience in branch management and a confidence booster, especially after the
unfortunate incident at the last posting.
Things were different now. The new Branch Manager was
the polar opposite of his predecessor. He was a micro-managing tyrant who was
prone to frequent fiery outbursts. He would bellow at officers while cowering
before the clerical staff, creating tension for us, the officers. We somehow
tolerated him, but today, with the exhilaration of my promotion fresh, a silent
defiance had started simmering within me.
As the party preparations were on, the essential task
of balancing the ledgers was in progress. Back then, in the era of manual
banking, this meant meticulous hand-balancing of every account. The night
before, I had burned the midnight oil, ensuring the Progressive Book was ready
with figures, giving my team no reason to delay their task.
Around 11:30 am, I was moving from one desk to another in the bustling hall, checking on each one's progress with a smile. Suddenly, the Branch Manager's loud voice shattered the hum. From a distance, he bellowed a question about a minor issue. Before I could respond, his face contorted, and his lips twisted with despair. His voice echoed through the hushed banking hall as he screamed, "Oh, come on. What is the Bank up to? Promoting people like you? (आए हाए, ये बैंक भी क्या करता है....आपके जैसों को प्रमोट कर देता है।) "
A collective gasp was heard through the hall. The
vibrant chatter died, replaced by a deafening silence. Even the flickering
fluorescent lights seemed to dim in shock.
My own temper flared. "If the bank can elevate
someone like you," I retorted, voice laced with barely contained anger,
"then what on earth makes me less qualified?(अगर बैंक आप जैसों को प्रमोट कर देता है, तो मुझ में क्या कमी है?) "
The manager's face contorted into a mixture of fury
and humiliation, and he stormed back into his office, red-faced and sputtering something
unintelligible.
Moments later, I was summoned to his room, where he complained
in a mumbled tone, about my inappropriate retort in front of the staff.
"And your outburst in front of the entire team
was acceptable?" I shot back, not letting him finish. With that, I turned
on my heel and marched out, leaving him speechless in his chair.
He had received the message loud and clear. From that
day onward, the bullying stopped. It was a small victory, but I had learnt my
lesson of not tolerating bullying from anyone, even if he was my boss and was
going to write my annual appraisal report shortly.
(To be continued....)
*****
6 comments:
Thank you for sharing this!Tit for tat, sometimes, is the only way out. Such compulsive bullies were found in plenty in the Bank. They would quite often , vis a vis female staff, utter double meaning words/ sentences to belittle them 'n would ravel in this type of uncouth behaviour.
Good you retorted with full force and taught him a befitting lesson. Kudos! (Vijay Gupta)
Tit for tat. One has to be bold and confident to retort to Boss. (Harish Bhambri)
FANTASTIC ....Attagirl, Ranjana (Lakshmy Iyer)
There are different kind of people that one has to deal with in one’s carrier. How to tackle each one is a lesson that one learns with experience.
Ranjana has always tackled problems “tactfully”- a much used word in the Bank’s meetings. (Varsha Uke Nagpal)
The story of your evolution from a (seemingly) meek girl from the hinterland to a veritable Jhansi ki Rani is so fascinating. (KBS Bedi)
वाह-वाह ,मजा आ गया भाई। रंजना जी। लेकिन आप तो हमसे बड़े हैं तो आपको शाबाशी तो दे नहीं सकते। बस केवल तालियां बजा सकते हैं।
यह सबक हम लोगों को अपने बैंक के कार्यकाल में जल्दी ही मिल जाता है कि उसी को दबाया जाता है कि जो दब जाता है। जैसे कि काम उसी को दिया जाता है करने को, कि जो बिना आनाकानी किए, खुशी-खुशी कर देता है। और काम करने और बढ़िया काम करने में तो आनंद कुछ और ही है। उसे कामचोर लोग जान ही नहीं सकते।
ऐसा एक बार मेरे साथ भी हुआ। क्योंकि सभी जानते थे और मानते थे कि ये सीधा सादा आदमी है ,कुछ बोलेगा तो है नहीं। लेकिन जब अन्याय होता है, तो कोई चुप कैसे रहे भला? और फिर एक बार जब गुस्सा आ गया तो फिर क्रोध में आदमी रिएक्ट तो करता ही है। एक बार एक बहुत सज्जन और सीनियर व्यक्ति ने कुछ गड़बड़ करी। मुझे भी क्रोध आ गया और मैंने उनको भली प्रकार से सुना दिया। जाहिर है कि क्रोध में आवाज भी थोड़ी बुलंद हो ही जाती है। उनके और मेरे ऑफिस में तकरीबन 40-50 लोगों ने भली प्रकार से सुन लिया कि उनको क्या कहा गया। यानी क्या-क्या कहा गया।
सुनते जाइए। अब आगे ऐसा हुआ कुछ कि सभी लोग सतर्क हो गए। उनको समझ में आ गया कि पंगा नहीं लेना है इसके साथ, नहीं तो सरे आम इज्जत उतार देगा। जो हमारे बौस थे , वे भी दिल्ली से थे। और अन्य अफसरों से कभी-कभी कुछ ना कुछ कह दिया करते थे। किंतु इस घटना के बाद से , ही वाज एक्सट्रीमली केयरफुल विद मी। वर्चुअली ए मॉडल ऑफ़ गुड बिहेवियर।
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