Lesson in how to manage a cosmopolitan work force

Most of the technicians in the factory had been trained in-house in the TTC (Technical Training Center) and they came from different corners of the country. However, the General Manager was a senior officer of the IAF and hailed from Kerala, it was but natural that a majority of the technicians were Malayalees.
Alongside them were people from Bangalore because that was the only place where people were available who had some sort of experience in manufacturing aircraft. Moreover, since the factory was in Maharashtra, there were many Maharashtrians. And then there was an assortment of technicians from others states like West Bengal, Bihar, UP, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh. It was a big cosmopolitan family and everyone worked as a team. Most of the supervisory staff was officers from HAL Bangalore and they joined hands to ensure that the work proceeded as per plans. The work was new to all of us and, hence, everybody cooperated.
Tea was served twice – once in the morning along with snacks. Snacks were necessary because most of the workers were unmarried and therefore had to have their breakfast in the tea time itself. Breakfast usually catered to the local tastes like batata wada, onion pakora, bread pakora, urad dal wada, sabudana wada, poha etcetera.
The second time tea was in the afternoon – only tea. No snacks.
Well – as is human nature, I became pally with the Bengali boys. They were technicians, I was a supervisory staff. But, when the tea came, we would have our tea, crack a few jokes and puff cigarettes together.
One day, my boss called me aside after tea time and gave me one of my first lessons in management. He did not make any reference to my taking tea with the technicians. He only smiled and said – ‘workers are like a source of fire. If you go too close, you will be burnt. If you stay too far away, you will miss the warmth. You must decide the distance.’
My boss had not graduated from any IIT, he did not hold any degree in Engineering but he was knowledgeable about the ways of the world and spoke from experience. (to be continued …)

Another interesting blog - Violence and atrocities

Another interesting blog - Citizen Journalist