The Rules from 'Rules of the Game'

Once in a while, I come across articles in magazines that are a total revelation. But I will be cautious before I say that about the article I am going to talk about. And it is because the article talked about rules so simple that they are almost self-evident. And perhaps which is why it reminded me of what Sherlock Holmes said, "It is so overt, it is covert." And Gandhi who said, "It is the simple things that catch your breath." By the way, the article was titled Rules of the Career Game and was based on the debut book by Sumit D Chowdhury Rules of the Game.
Something I have always believed in is valuing what we do. The article cited Naina Lal Kidwai, a hotshot Padma Shri awardee, who says that there are two groups of people: one who have an immense awareness of what they want to do with their lives, where they are headed and so forth. And a second and more inferior class of people who believe that adding consequence to what they do will be someone else's responsibility.
I am sorry to say this but I find our country full of the second class of people. One of the reasons why we are still a third world country. A place where passing the buck is a norm. A place where going the extra mile is treated almost as something silly because nobody is noticing anyway. But trust me when I say that in long run, becoming concerned about making an impact is more important than being all obsessed about titles.
We all know how seriously Stephen Covey stressed the importance of self-awareness. He said that it was one of the things that distinguished us from the animal world and made us unique as human beings. Well, this article was no different, it asked us to watch our thoughts, actions and reactions. Because only by being aware of them can we control them. Kind of like what Krishna said, control your thoughts to control everything else. And by that I mean the mad cycle of action and reaction that we go through. Of course, it's not exactly easy but practicing control on our ART (actions, reactions and thoughts) will eventually get us there.
Robin Sharma never gets tired of talking about reference points. By that what he means is to have role models. And I think that that's a pretty cool suggestion. So, who is your role model? Oprah, Gandhi, Mandela, Obama or some other such folk? Decide that. If you are in business, maybe you would like to read more about Gates, Jobs, Buffett and Ambani. Catch up on their biographies. Ask yourself the kind of question that Roosevelt  (Theodore) did whenever he was faced with any dilemma by taking out a hundred dollar bill from his pocket: "What would Abe do?" That works!

Something I find tempting to do is breaking rules. But some rules are better not broken. Rules, for example, related with communication. The article rightly says that people will judge, evaluate, block or promote you based on your communication skills. Buffett calls this a million-dollar skill. I think that we should listen sometimes to what we are saying. Lincoln said, "I spend two-thirds of the time thinking about what they want to hear and one-third thinking about I want to say." No wonder Roosevelt did what he did with his hundred dollar bill!
And it is true that words truly have the power to make or break relationships. If you find yourself speaking anything that can damage later, apologise immediately. So, be silent if you have to but refrain from nonsense. And please don't confuse your humour with stand-up comedy. Humour is risky and not everyone gets it. So be funny but observe certain boundaries and respect them.
Networking is equally important. And I know that it's a much abused term. But that doesn't take away from how important it is. A meaningful network gives you the opportunity to learn and achieve much more than you otherwise would. Love everyone but also learn slowly to move away from people who have that black cloud of negativity around them. They are good at sucking energy and they are not going to change for you. Also, dress appropriately. Friday is not an excuse for you to look sloppy. Remember, if you won't care then nobody else will.
Finally, take ownership and take initiatives. Find out problems and solve them without someone having to ask you to do so. Build your right to be a leader by making additional contribution. People will eventually say, "You have the initiative" and you will be pushed into leadership positions.
Yes, the cover story in Reader's Digest explained well the rules in the book: 'Rules of the Game'.
So, when are you buying a copy? :-)

(You may check out the relevant links below):
bit.ly/1pwzzkG 
http://rulesofthegame.in 
Happy reading!