Respect

Respect


After graduation, one of the jobs which I took on was that of an Operations Executive at a popular education-cum-play centre.

It was quite an established company with several branches around Singapore.

The place look very nice.

From the outside, that is.

On the inside, in the words of the new Administrative Assistant,

"It's a total mess. The accounts are so messy."

When I attended the interview, the centre director of that particular centre told me how she had to manage everything on her own, and how the rest of the staff did not help her.

I felt sorry for her.

Until I started work.

I noticed there's much distrust between the staff and her, and how the staff were also wary of me, that I'm her 'spy'.

The staff seems to dislike her.

I didn't know why until I made the following observations :

She comes to work about 10 to 11 o'clock, goes for lunch at about 12, sometimes 11.30, and comes back only about 3/4 o'clock in the afternoon.

To quote the Administrative Assistant who shares the same office as her,

"She does nothing but yaks on the phone with her friends until it's time to go home."

And that's about 5.30, 6.

She's hardly at the centre.

It's practically 'self-rule'.

Whenever there's a problem, she's no where to be found.

The staff simply goes about doing their jobs, 'governing' themselves.

There's no direction, guidance or assistance from her.

That, I can understand why.


One day, I think barely a week after I started work, the usual night shift lady had to go on emergency leave.

The Director gave instructions over the phone to one of the colleagues that I was to cover the shift.

As the Director was not around, I turned to my colleagues for help, asking them what the night shift entails.

No one seems to know, or reluctant/refused to share.

They told me to ask the Director.

At about 6pm, after all the staff had left, the Director told me she's also leaving for the day.

I quickly asked her about the closing duties cos' she was barely around the whole day.

And when she came in in late afternoon, she was so busy on the phone that I had no opportunity to speak to her.

So, imagine my surprise when she looked at me, smiled, and said,

"Eh........ I don't know."

I was shocked.

My heart sank.

Honestly, so did my respect for her.

I mean, I still respect her, her title that is.

But to give her credit, at least she's frank about it, and told me to call the normal night shift lady to find out.

Apparently, she's the only one who does the closing, and when she's on leave or off, she has to come back in the night to specially close the centre, something she's also unhappy about.

Following this incident, I told myself that as the operations person,

I must learn all that my colleagues know, and all that they don't know, so that I can guide them.

A principle which I uphold and abide by till this day.

As an instructor, I made sure that I know all the nuts and bolts, ins and outs, around and abouts of the poses before I share them with my students.

I used my body as a 'guinea pig' for all my experiments with the poses, and find out how best to them so that the participants do not hurt or injure themselves while doing it.

From then on, I embark on an offensive, and set out to learn everything from my colleagues.

After all, they were more senior and experienced than me, albeit the designation/title.

I clocked 8am - 11pm everyday, learning all that I should learn, and talking to my colleagues regarding the duties and the roster.

I wrote out an operations manual, detailing all the duties, and a step-by-step guide for the opening and closing of the accounts etc, giving everyone a copy each.

I arranged the roster in such a way that I was there to guide all my colleagues, both old and new, on both the opening and closing duties, until they are all proficient in it, so that everyone can go on leave and have off days without disruption.



The happiest moment I had was about 1-2 years after I left the place.

One of the colleagues arranged a dinner get-together.

During the get-together, a middle aged lady who at that time when I was there, had phobia about computers, told me there was one time after I had left the centre, she had to do closing on her own.

At this point, her eyes gleamed, and her face shone with pride and happiness as she related to me how that night, armed with the operations manual which I wrote out for them, and she recollecting the nights I spent coaching her, she conquered her fear of computers and succeeded doing the closing on her own without any hassle.

She told me she felt so happy and proud of herself.

Honestly , so was I.

So proud and happy for her.

What happen to the centre?

Apparently, according to my colleagues, sometime after I left, the centre was forced to shut down cos' the rent was in arrears for several months.

Subsequently, all the other centres in Singapore closed down, too.

"When the ruler of a country (or company) is just and good,

The Ministers become just and good.

When the Ministers are just and good,

The higher officials become just and good.


When the higher officials are just and good,

The rank and file become just and good.


When the rank and file are just and good,

The people become just and good."

- The Buddha

"Let a man apply himself to what is proper before he preaches others."

- The Buddha

"Respect is not given;

It has to be earned."

"It's easy to be bad

But difficult to be good."

- The Buddha