Yesterday, I conducted a training for a corporate's CSR programme. I am generally sceptical about CSR programmes, but this one, inspires me at several levels. The programme aims to engage employees in their CSR activity and again I think that is a bold aim because employees sometimes do not want to (nor have the time to) do anything other than their jobs. There are some gems though, among the employees, whose eyes light up at the sound of getting involved in 'good' work. This, lights my soul.
When I told the 'trainees' that "our stories make us who we are" and asked them to share some of their most defining life experiences that a quote reminds them, many of them began sharing. Two stories stand out and I am going to share them here. These are personal stories, not confidential ones.
Forgiveness and Judgement
One of the employees was a naval officer prior to joining this organisation. A few years ago he was on a small vessal and his job was to watch over the coast to ensure nobody enters the Indian waters from Sri Lanka. This, sometimes, is tricky because fishermen could lose their way and enter Indian territory without even the intention of engaging in illegal activities. The navy officer, while keeping watch, off the coast of Chennai, saw a boat and a fisherman. Reporting this fisherman would bring the officer a medal, but trouble for someone just trying to support his livlihood. At this point, the officer really thought before he could book the guy and made the judgement that the poor fisherman was only, fishing and had entered Indian waters by mistake. He let him off with only a warning. He lost his medal but saved a life.
When I heard, this story I said thank you. Not because he shared the story but because he let it happen in the first place. For being the person we all can talk about... for saving a life.
A small act
The second endearing story was triggered by a quote which says 'a big act of courage is sometimes a small one'. The employee was travelling by car in a group in a remote part of India. On the road, they all saw a group of children harassing a cow. They had a huge plastic bag which they had put on the cow's head which is clearly what I would call innocent cruelty. Everyone in the car was uncomfortable with what they saw but nobody had the courage to do anything. At this point, the girl got off and simply took out the plastic bag from the cow's head and set it free. She said that it was a really small act, but it took a lot of courage on her part. And indeed she felt like a superhero after doing it.
I told her that this was going to be my favourite story. And indeed it is.
When I told the 'trainees' that "our stories make us who we are" and asked them to share some of their most defining life experiences that a quote reminds them, many of them began sharing. Two stories stand out and I am going to share them here. These are personal stories, not confidential ones.
Forgiveness and Judgement
One of the employees was a naval officer prior to joining this organisation. A few years ago he was on a small vessal and his job was to watch over the coast to ensure nobody enters the Indian waters from Sri Lanka. This, sometimes, is tricky because fishermen could lose their way and enter Indian territory without even the intention of engaging in illegal activities. The navy officer, while keeping watch, off the coast of Chennai, saw a boat and a fisherman. Reporting this fisherman would bring the officer a medal, but trouble for someone just trying to support his livlihood. At this point, the officer really thought before he could book the guy and made the judgement that the poor fisherman was only, fishing and had entered Indian waters by mistake. He let him off with only a warning. He lost his medal but saved a life.
When I heard, this story I said thank you. Not because he shared the story but because he let it happen in the first place. For being the person we all can talk about... for saving a life.
A small act
The second endearing story was triggered by a quote which says 'a big act of courage is sometimes a small one'. The employee was travelling by car in a group in a remote part of India. On the road, they all saw a group of children harassing a cow. They had a huge plastic bag which they had put on the cow's head which is clearly what I would call innocent cruelty. Everyone in the car was uncomfortable with what they saw but nobody had the courage to do anything. At this point, the girl got off and simply took out the plastic bag from the cow's head and set it free. She said that it was a really small act, but it took a lot of courage on her part. And indeed she felt like a superhero after doing it.
I told her that this was going to be my favourite story. And indeed it is.
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