Friday, September 11, 2009

My MOTO: Memories Forever

Disclaimer:
This is my personal opinion about one of the organization I had worked before and I have intentionally ommitted the name of the organization to avoid any
unnecessary controversy. I have used "MOTO" below whenever I need to refer to the organization.
I repeat this is my "personal opinion" & everyone is entitled to have their own and agree/disagree with me.
********************************************************************************

Hardly a couple of months back, with MOTO announcing the closure of one of its business division in Hyderabad, the journey finally came to an end. The journey, that started a decade ago in a tiny little corner of a rented house with very few employees, made MOTO-Hyderabad standing on its own feet on the Indian IT map. Over the years, it had created an identity of its own, shredded the image of being a younger sibling of MOTO-Bangalore, crafted an platform for so many success stories worldwide. The journey reached its pinnacle with the release of "MyRazr" (dummy name of a world famous mobile phone), when it almost become the #1 player in the mobile world.

But unfortunately of late, a combination of various reasons resulted in declining market share & the graph started descending. People had started to leave for better opportunity. There were those who tried to hang on till the very end, but some of them had to be practical, leave their emotional attachment aside and move on. But everyone, including the one who already left and the one still hopeful, prayed that MOTO should bounce back. The most surprising fact was that more than the one still being with MOTO, it was those who already left, wanted MOTO to return to its glory. They already had seen the world outside, the work culture, the relationship among people and so many other factors that they were quick to realize what made MOTO stand out from the rest of its contemporaries. Every now and then I used to receive those phone calls from my ex-colleagues eagerly waiting to know any sign of a good news. They were on their toes. just to be back to the old family. I could see the dreams of reuniting again in their eyes.

With the decision of MOTO shutting down one of its business division in Hyderabad center, these dreams are all shattered. Everyone has accepted the reality that the distant hope they had of going back to MOTO again, is no longer feasible. The far reaching effect of this lost hope is more than the immediate effect of some people losing their job. You loose a job today, you will hopefully find another one tomorrow, but it is painful to accept that you will hardly get those relationships where one is in hurry to catch the train to go home and his manager is doing his work sitting at his desk to meet the deadline or the one where you can ask for your manager's opinion about the organization that you are going for an interview next week or even the one, where an appraisal meeting went for 5 hours till the wee hours in the morning because the person being appraised had lot of issues to discuss other than his own assessment and the manager believed it was his responsibility to listen to all those issues first, whether or not they are relevant, can be discussed upon. MOTO is not the only organization in the world, where you find such instances, but such examples are very few and MOTO is one of the best among them.

There are not too many places in the world which teaches you that human beings are more important than the mere deliverables, that taking care of personal responsibilities is as equally important as taking care of professional assignments, that relationships are built over time with respect and trust irrespective of an individual's position in the organization. It is always believed that a base should be strong enough to build a monument and I am fortunate MOTO has given me that base both professionally and personally. And the same feeling is echoed by others, too some of them even are introspecting whether they took the right decision by leaving MOTO. I guess it was then rightly said that when something is not with you, then only you realize its actual worth.

Like every other good thing, this was to come to an end and may be so did it happen. But the name "MOTO" is etched into our hearts, those memories are still vivid in our minds and that very dream of reuniting again may be still alive in some eyes. Some dreams are too good to be realized, but still we should dream, who knows one day it might just materialize.


Note:I would specially request to all my MOTO ex-colleagues to share your experiences with MOTO. And stick to "MOTO" please, don't take the name while commenting :-)

23 comments:

  1. relationships are built over time with respect and trust irrespective of an individual's position in the organization...I totally agree with u.

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  2. The company you work in or your office is actually a place you stay in for almost more than half of your waking hours..if that place is not humane, not likeable, is full of pressure and unethical, more than half your life is wasted, is a pain..whats the point of that? I agree completely with your views here

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  3. Good article Mustaf, it does echo my feeling too (and I am exMOTO) I can still remember lot if individual days and moments of glory and joy that I had there. The best compliment I can pay to that work place is - It was a extended family (and I am still in touch with them)

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  4. However hard you try, sometimes you cant help thinking of the good old days right...? But life moves on...So have you...All the best...:)

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  5. thanx for your visit to my blog and leaving your imprints behind
    keep dropping and leaving your comments as they motivate,encourages and helps to modify and correct my perception

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  6. A well-written, thought-provoking article. Best wishes, Mustaf :)

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  7. Read your blog with a lot of interest...well written. It did make me a bit nostalgic too!

    I take a class on "Dealing with Difficult People"... It helps the participants understand that people are just different, there are hardly any difficult people, in absolute term.

    Organizations are like people. All organizations are unique and some appear to be more difficult than others. You are very likely to enjoy working in organization, when your values are aligned to the practiced values in the organization (often called as the culture of the orgn). When they are not aligned, it becomes stressful and measurable. I blame the 'API' and not the organization (or the individual).

    BTW, do visit our new website www.nicefitcareers.com and join the NICEFIT community. Invite your friends too...

    Susanta

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  8. thank u for leaving ur comments on my blog mustaf, I got to read such a nice post...certain things can never be forgotten in life...each stage has something in store for us to learn...it all depends how we look at it and take it...

    nice write up :)

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  9. Good one bhai! I can relate to each of those instances! After heading out n working at various places, I feel it was ppl who made the place so special for me :) That team was the best! Its like the first school n first set of best frndz..there's no way it will happen again..n nothing magical can ever replace those awesome memories :)

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  10. @A New Beginning,

    "Relationships" that is everything that I have realized after quitting Moto. When the relationship is based on mutual respect,trust and understanding between each other, people come to work on weekends with smiling face when there is a need. I can remember so many late night stay during crunch time, which was nothing short of having fun. We were working hard and then having pizza, chit chatting and even pulling manager's legs in between:P

    @Sujata,

    Yes, if you don't like the work place and the work, it is next to impossible that you will do any good to yourself and to the organization!!

    @Anand,

    "Extended family"..correctly said, nothing else can describe what that place is to all of us. The feeling i have today is of a joint family being torn apart, which will never be same again :-(

    @Destiny's child,

    Yes, I have moved on like so many others, but somewhere in my heart, I know a little bit of me is still stuck there & I want to keep it like that only

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  11. @Ayesha,

    Thank you:-)

    @Susanta,

    Thanks for accepting my invitation to drop by, your input means so much to me and to many other "MOTO"s.

    I completely agree with you, if my values are aligned to the practiced values in the organization, I would enjoy otheriwse I wouls struggle. That's the adjustment, everyone does, you don't get everything you want in any place for whatsoever. But what about those organizations, where there is no values, no ethics, no respect for each other. Would you still opine that those orgs are "wrong" in my viewpoint but perfectly alright for some others? And those people are not "difficult" people, they are just "different"?

    I have already visited the website after receiving the email, just could not get myself registered, my laziness you could say. Will do so immidiately..

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  12. @Neha,

    Thanks for dropping by:-)

    And that was my first organization in my career, so it anyway had a special place in my heart. And we know correct that the "first" of everything is hard to forget..:-(

    @Deepthi,

    It is not only the people who made the difference, organization itself had its contribution, too. It's a combo of two, organization has its values, principles, cultures and then there are the people who practice these. The absence of either of these two would make matter worse. Sometime i just feel so much void inside when I think how that always busy 4th floor or the building as a whole would be with fewer people now and I just come back to reality.I could not think of it for more than few seconds :(

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  13. Rahaman, Great blog. I feel the same as you do. MOTO had two great things :-
    1) Excellent work environment as you mentioned.

    2) Excellent people. And the credit for the former actually goes finally the people who built it.

    Over the time I have realized that why people give so much strengh to the values of the Company and alignment. Now I feel this is absolutely essential , more important than other benefits. Another point I would like to add is that the teams we worked into , we were slightly more fortunate than other teams(atleast that is what I feel) because we actually worked with really gem of a people. I wish we may get to work together sometime somewhere. Till that time lets keep in touch.

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  14. Hi...

    Your post reminded me of my first job....a place that I yearn to return...hoping nothing would have changed...

    Aparna

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  15. Sometimes we get so attached to our jobs/workplace that it becomes a part of your character and extension of your being. Leaving it behind or moving on is alomost like leaving a part of you behind. But I guess that's life :)

    Love your post...echoes my thoughts.

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  16. @Anjuji,

    Thanks for dropping by :-)

    @Shiv,

    You know, today I understand "professionalism" & "work-culture" more than I ever understood in my 6 years tenure in MOTO.

    And I also agree that we were bit luckier because we got to work with some of the best people there and I know if I can just do justification to whatever I have learnt, I will go places in life.

    @APARNA,

    Yes, the first job always leaves a permanent imprint and that too, if that is one of the best you can ever work for in your entire life.

    @Starry-eyed nut,

    I know a part of me is still there and I want it to be remain like that. On a hindsight, I think I would not want to go back there again because for sure I know i will not get everything back that I left there. So, i would rather live with those beautiful memories permanently etched in my heart for ever...

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  17. Hi :)
    Thanks for dropping by my blog!!
    It must have been hard for you to forget it!
    You write well!!

    Keep Smiling!

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  18. Hi Mustaf

    Thanks for dropping by and for your encouraging comments.It did make me smile for a while.Read your posts. I agree with you. We should dream, you never know when it will materialize.You feel attached to the place where you work and it does gives you happy memories.Keep writing.Wil be back for sure to read more.

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  19. Hi mustaf :-)

    It's heartening to know about the organization you have worked with...I agree with you, and you really are fortunate to have worked in such an organization.

    As you have rightly said, dream; who knows it may come true, today or tomorrow.

    Thanks a lot for visiting my blog. And your header picture looks great! I loved it :-)

    Will be coming back!

    Have a great day ahead :-)

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  20. I used to work for an IT company and it had a way of taking care of its employees. The company has to develop very good HR policies to not just employ but to retain good people. I do not know why so many companies have only profits as goals. If you take and retain good people, profits automatically follow.

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  21. I have always moved on for reasons that were personal and have pleasurable memories of the the handful places I worked. Each added a new dimension of thinking and perspective. MOTOs are just part of the bigger canvas. Plough on

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  22. @Shruti,

    Yes, it is hard for me to forget and I don't want to forget that also. It is like some dreams etched into my heart forever.

    @Butterfly Thoughts,

    I am glad that I could make you smile:-)And the important thing it has not only given me happy memories, but valuable lessons which I should remember and apply for the rest of my life.

    @manivannan,

    The header picture was taken just casually from a running train early in the morning.I think some good things happen just like that.

    @Aparnadi,

    Just like some of the human being always look for short cut to get success, the organizations are also no different because they are driven by human being only.Often while wanting for short cut quick money, we forget the importance of long term investment and its return. MOTO is not built in one day, there was investment made in terms of money,people,culture, and so many other things and the return (other than monitory return) is that people are still remembering it long after they have left the organization.

    @The Holy Lama,

    You are right and that's what i am doing:)

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  23. Well... that's very interessting but to be honest i have a hard time determining it... wonder how others think about this..

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