Kiran Varri : What can pressure do to you ? Good or Bad ?

What can Pressure do to You? Good or Bad ?

This is a quite often raised but unresolved question. People feel that pressure makes

people perform better and also worse. The simple answer almost always found was; “It

Depends !”.So what does it really depends on, if at all it depends.

All this analysis started when I was on my routine day performing few tasks, I planned

for the day. Unfortunately, because of a wreak and a delay at a local UPS mailing office,

I was running behind my schedule. I was worried and at the same time just keeping cool

as it was something out of my hands. But I was not sure that my mind could still be

searching ways to fix the problem.

Suddenly from nowhere I got the Idea. My next assignment was to go to a

Mailbox center, to switch the customer from his current utility company to a new one I

recommended (Yet another part-time job I do: An Independent contractor for a new

utility company). I have already completed the current location, where the manager was

available. I was supposed to pick up the copy of the utility bill from another center they

owned around 4 miles farther from the current center. I have to go over there and pick up

the copy, come back, sign-up and come back to school for a class scheduled at 6:30 PM.I

planned to go, get a copy, stop-by on the return, sign-up and get back. It was a service I

could offer to the customer: To go and pick up the bill personally from the other facility.

As the clock ticked may be my mind opened the door to thought (The pressure starts

working positively here).

There’s the IDEA : “Why not skip the farther journey and request a FAX Copy

from the nearer center and still meet the person On-Time and save some time and gas and

money.”

Once I got the idea, I felt like a step towards Nirvana. It’s real, the brain worked, only

because I was running out of time. If not, may be I would have enjoyed the farther

journey, been on time, sign-up and feel proud about offering a valuable customer service.

Even in the new scenario we are offering the customer almost the same service

(except for few pennies or dimes it cost’s for the manager to get a FAX Copy.)The

Kiran Varri : What can pressure do to you ? Good or Bad ?

scenario discussed could be a very plain simple case. But the capacity of Human brain

can never be estimated (Underestimated). That is the reason why even today, irrespective

of the excellent computing framework, still humans have an edge over the machines. It’s

we who say the machines how to solve a problem.

Coming to the real question whether pressure cause harm or good, as long as one has the

focus and vision at heart and mind, I believe one can find a way always out. Whenever

pressure come from external sources like: Management, targets e.t.c as long as the end is

within the capacity of the individual he can always be pushed till it; just because the end

is nearer than the Breaking point. But when companies set-up people against some thing

unrealistic and beyond the reach of the individual; then the breaking point is nearer than

the end goal. So we end up loosing an individual and the task remaining incomplete and

any successor to the task starting with a pre-conceived fear of failure.

Is it possible to stretch the breaking point farther and farther? Yes, It is. Here come the

concepts of: Continuous learning, Knowledge management, Data Warehousing, Cross-

functional teams e.t.c.

A well Balanced Diet only can assure best health. Similarly, A well balanced job, team,

organization only can assure success. Any thing more or less.. Guess what happens?????