When you're in Australia, do as the Australians

It was one of those days when our neighbour was forced to stretch his parking area -
his sedan slightly encroaching upon our area. That was enough for my wife to spent
her energy - repeatedly checking if he corrected himself and warning me how in the
long run this could potentially become a habit. Obviously, her tolerance limit was low. The neighbours weren't any different;my wife was forced to reduce her tolerance. For that matter, such behaviour seems to be common.we increasingly tend to become ourselves and would love to have a system or society that is favourable to our way of thinking or culture.

Cut to Australia where Indians are facing so called racism. The issues seem to
have grabbed media attention all of a sudden. The question is whether the same has
been happening for a long time and been kept away from the media or has racism cropped up all of a sudden? The latter seems to be more probable going by the increasing number of Indians targeting the land of kangaroos as a destiny of promise. The real issue also lies in the burgeoning Indian population in Australia.

As the numbers swell, they excessively try to be themselves-replicating culture, tradition,festivities etc challenging the established and distinct social structure prevalent in the country. It is a case of repeatedly challenging the tolerance levels of natives and provoking them to eject those trying to force fit something new to the system. Indians conveniently forget the age old saying-when you are in Rome, do as the Romans. Like in business, diverse culture should blend efficiently towards building best practices, thus realizing a common goal.

Until and unless Indians seek to blend with the Australian culture, challenges will mount and individuals will face the brunt.

The clean state principle

My kids demand a clean sheet of paper to show their artistic talent, mostly when they have nothing else to do. At 2 and 5, their effort isn't anywhere close to art but a reflection of their observation. A simple straight line would be termed a snake, for instance. The uncomplicated drawings and clear justification for the same also connote something very important - a clear mind that acts like a powerful absorbant. It's unadulterated even though it is untethered. They demand a clean sheet of paper as they seek something that resemble their mind, which can clearly articulate even the most complex article that they come across with ease.

Is there a lesson for us adults? Of course. Let us first take our approach to people. We meet someone and we become judgemental immediately. The person is most often lacking in something even if he or she is friendly, smart or intelligent. With that in mind, it becomes a challenge at the workplace to strike a cordial relationship. Move over to activities at work. There is always one way of carrying it out and the best way is yours. No one cares the fact that it is an expression of mind and it could differ from people to people. There is a mindset in carrying out activities and it increases with the size of an organization.

Can't we leverage the 'clean state principle?' Such an initiative is important for the success of the organization as well as individuals key to drive success.
The clean state principle means the need for viewing resources - people, activity, process etc- as a leverage for driving competitive differentiators. A person could bring fresh perspective, new competence to the organization.However, this can be attained only if the organization permits a culture of openess. A new person should be seen as someone who could make a difference at an individual level. What is the difference in this approach? Well, it is not a top-down approach but a bottom-up one where every individual strives for a clean state every day.