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11:10 AM
Bikram Vohra
JournalismPakistan.com
June 24, 2015
I remember the Gnanpith award winning Urdu writer Quratulain Haider when we were working together on the Illustrated Weekly and she would play host to the hungry bachelors telling us that anyone who says we’ve been doing something the same way for five years has been doing the same thing for one year five times over. It always stayed in the mind and while change only for the sake of it could well indicate a lack of strategy, to find sanctuary in a groove is to be static. Yet it is such a favorite ploy to look back instead of around the corner.
So keeping that in mind which one are you and is it why you are left behind.
The Assessor
We are looking into the matter and processing it. After that we will make a feasibility study on the need for the requisitioned material and then get back to you. But it has been three weeks since the application was made!! These things take time, they cannot be hurried.
The buck passer
Not my department, are the lyrics of his song. It never is his department or his problem or his responsibility and he masters the art of passing it on, often tagging on enough jargon to fog the issue. He will say, I thought the DG (Ops) was to initiate it with the DyRM (Purch) and forward it to the Regional CPR (Sales) so where does my section fit into it, if we had known we’d have done it.
The innocent
No one told me, is this fellow’s plaintive cry. I didn’t know, if only we functioned on systems this would not happen, in fact I am going to raise a stink about being left out; my team had some very good inputs, if only someone had thought to ask us.
The protector
Sorry, not in our brief, we don’t do this sort of thing, not our job, doesn’t come under us, why not try R and D, we can’t take the responsibility, yes, I know we are the same company but I am not authorized to make any decision outside my area.
The bossman yesman
I cannot say or do anything till, the boss returns. We have to get his okay first, yes, for everything, even casual leave, too bad if you think it’s crazy; that’s my job and that’s the way I do it, if he doesn’t give the okay the file doesn’t move.
The procrastinator
Come back next week, call us on Wednesday, sorry, not ready yet, it is in the pipeline, we are waiting for a clearance from Finance, no, I cannot give you a sure date, we are doing our best, there are things to do, you know.
The hindsight champion
I had a feeling it wouldn’t work, I warned you all but no one would listen. You never warned anyone and now because it has gone wrong you are passing judgment. But I did, I did, I said, we could be in trouble if it goes wrong. You call that a warning?
Mr. Busy Busy
He always gives the impression of being harried and overworked which is why he does nothing, just keeps swirling paper about and dashing off half memos and unfinished letters and his desk is cluttered and he has perfected the art of froth largely because there is no substance and you will see him dashing about briskly looking so important and yet the end result is, a high fat cypher.
(The writer is a Senior Editorial Advisor of Khaleej Times and the paper’s former Editor. He has also been the Editor of Gulf News, Gulf Today, Emirates Today and Bahrain Tribune)
If my call is so important to them, why don’t they answer it for 22 minutes?
How come when I want to, but something specific online is the only item out of stock.
When I get into a queue or lane going fast, the moment I get in, it becomes the slowest and refuses to budge.
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