By Navanita Das:
Year after year, government after government the headlines virtually remain the same. Parties in opposition that agree to disagree on almost every point, logjams and boycotts etc. Well, some amount of progress is certainly made but it isn’t definitely at a pace we are capable of. What the solution to this issue could be and when the glorious day would dawn when we would witness the line between government and opposition blur, that I’m quite unsure of. But as a corporate slave, I can surely think of reasons how embodying my master could help. Even the lousiest and most unhelpful employee has to mend his ways when the time for appraisal comes. Fix the job or face the cut. If there was an appraisal for each member in the Parliament, I’m sure following would improve:
1) Team Skill And Coordination:
So this is a parameter on which most MPs do not seem to perform well. Being bad at coordination not only blocks useful communication but also creates a sense of mistrust among people who are working towards the same goal (at least that’s what they’re supposed to). So get over this disorder, listen to your colleagues, mutually progress or else remain stuck and face the wrath of the reviewer.
2) Adherence To Timelines:
Think twice before passionately declaring that paradise shall descend on the plateau. Make thorough analyses and come up with realistic timelines for achieving quantifiable results. Deadlines are sacred; when lesser mortals like us can literally feel the lead melt in our ears for this sloppy attitude, surely our big brothers and sisters can also be more accountable to timelines they have themselves set.
3) Leadership Skills:
So you could be an MP, a minister or the PM himself. You have some really noble ideas, and some rather revolutionary ones too and everyone decides to be the Dark Age janta to your Copernicus. Then the test of exemplary leadership abilities lies not in leading people with demagoguery but inspiring them to be courageous enough to stand for righteousness. It can never ever be easy and, precisely for this reason, there are only a handful of personalities who are revered by the masses as much in their lifetime as after it.
4) Effective Communication Skills:
Parliament is meant for the discussion of issues of national importance and not for the display of superior histrionic and oratory skills. Neither is it meant to be downed in an uproar of discordant noises and chants. Be specific, to the point and true to facts.
5) Zero Non-Productive Efforts:
Needless to say, the ones who contribute to the reduction of productive hours in the Parliament ought to be marked abysmally on this parameter.
6) Result-Orientation:
Try telling your lead that the product could not be delivered because other team members didn’t co-operate, or that at least it followed better standards than it’s previous versions and see what happens. Agreed that there aren’t as many quantifiable parameters to measure your output against, but then shouldn’t you yourself be making an exhaustive list of all those areas where you can actually make a measurable difference.
With greater power comes greater responsibility; nobody would choose a person to lead a team of as small as four members without a proper selection process, and the leader of that small team usually has an immense sense of responsibility and feels accountable towards the success of the project. Members of the Parliament must have been surely more capable in every respect than that leader because they represent a large chunk of the population and, therefore, have a much greater responsibility as well. And, therefore, they can drive a lot of changes if they want to.
That was a little about how appraisals force you to re-evaluate yourself. You might not get appraised any time in the near future. But you have your people to evaluate you after five years. It might be possible that you’re brought back by virtue of your caste, lineage etc. but then, always remember that the sense of victory, the fulfilment that comes after a job well done is only yours. Go appraise yourself.