unit 9: engage deeply - i-become activguide deeply... · engage deeply unit 9: swami ... the third...

Engage DeeplyUNIT 9:

Swami Vivekananda

Contributor Personality Program

An Group Initiative

by

for students and faculty of Gujarat Technological University

University Servicesi-become

JULY 2012 BATCH

This Study Material is designed, developed and published by Illumine Knowledge Resources Pvt. Ltd.

and licensed to Career Knowledge Resources Pvt. Ltd., the promoters of I-Become. All rights are

reserved. No part of this Study Material may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise by any

person or organization (including program participants) without the prior permission of Illumine

Knowledge Resources Pvt. Ltd.

COPYRIGHT DECLARATION

Booklet printed from

i-become

The third aspect of a Contributor’s Mindset is the Contributor’s

approach to work.

Contributors are instantly distinguished by the way they

approach work. They get involved. They are enthusiastic. They

go deep into the subject.

In short, Contributors love what they do.

This is in direct contrast to Non-contributors who want to do

only what they love – an approach that seems reasonable

until you realize that life and workplaces have so much variety

that you may very often be called upon to do tasks that seem

unpleasant or boring until you get involved.

9.1 Exploring how to practice “engaging deeply” pg. 2-5

9.2 Workplace application 1 pg. 6-7



9.5 Project work pg. 12

What you can do next pg. 13

Swami Vivekananda speaks to you: Dive deep pg. 14-15

UNIT 9:

Developing a Contributor Personality

Engage Deeply[Contributor Practice 3]

UNIT 9: ENGAGE DEEPLY

© JULY 2012 EDITION; ILLUMINE KNOWLEDGE RESOURCES PVT LTD; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DEVELOPED BY ILLUMINE FOR THE I-BECOME INITIATIVE

2 OF 15i-become

High-quality strong bridge

continued ...

Study the following examples

1. The Non-contributor Researcher who is disengaged The Contributor Researcher who engages deeply

This research project is becoming very tough now. As

long as it needed only the procedures that my senior had

told me, it was okay. I don’t understand all this now… I give up! It is easier to just ask my senior to tell me the answers

and what to do.

This research project is challenging for me… the deeper

I go into the subject, the clearer I become about these concepts. I am able to find new

answers to these problems… I am discovering how amazing

this subject is!

This bridge needs to be strong and yet beautiful. People should love to use this bridge and should feel

proud it is in their city…When people see my work, they will know what kind of person I am… I must make

it a master-piece! Only then will I respect my own work.

Let me somehow finish my work and go home. “Chalta hai” if

there are errors or the output is of poor quality or

if it collapses later or customer is unhappy.

Non-contributors are disengaged1 with work (unless it is something they like). Contributors engage2 deeply in any work / subject that they take up.

This Non-contributor Researcher finds it easier to memorize or follow procedures given to him. Even if the senior guides him on how to think, he does not want to take the trouble of thinking deeply about the subject, because that would require an initial struggle. Thus, he wants his senior to do all the thinking and give the answer.

This Non-contributor Engineer is more concerned about finishing off his work quickly – even if the quality of work is poor. He doesn’t care to do a good job and has a “chalta hai” attitude. Result – he builds poor quality bridges that can become dangerous for the people who use it.

This Non-contributor Project Team Member does not want to give up his comforts to commit himself deeper into the project, get into its details, and really work for its success. He prefers to just do enough to “show” that he is working and get paid for that. Result – he is an uncommitted team member whom no one can depend on.1 disengaged: Doing work without involvement or interest. 2 engage deeply: Doing work with full involvement and interest, struggling with it, pouring full energy into it.

This Contributor Researcher goes deep into the subject to find answers, discover new ways of doing things, and in the process transforms himself. When the senior guides him on how to think, it helps him go deeper and he finds his own answers. Thus, he builds a deeper knowledge and expertise in the subject.

This Contributor Engineer respects his own work only if he does a perfect job. Thus he cares about the quality of his work, he cares that it should be useful to the people who use it, he cares that people are proud of his work. Result – Any bridge he builds will be brilliantly done and will be an asset for the citizens.

This Contributor Project Team Member plunges deep into any project that he takes up. He does not work with “half effort”. He believes that if he is involved, then he must give his 100% towards making the project a success. Result – he becomes a valued team member. People will want to have such a person on their team.

2.

3.

The Non-contributor Engineer who is disengaged

The Non-contributor Project Team Member who is disengaged

The Contributor Engineer who engages deeply

The Contributor Project Team Member who engages deeply

Bridge with poor quality work

It is comfortable to just do what people give you, do enough work to fill the day, have long tea breaks, leave

for home on time, etc. If I commit to the success of this project then I will

have to give up those conveniences and be accountable to the team and

its goals… so I’d rather not do it.

Unless I go deep and get into the details, I know the project will

not get completed successfully. If I am involved, I must commit

myself deeply to the success of the project.

9.1 Exploring how to practice “engaging deeply”[CONCEPT EXPLORATION]

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA CONTRIBUTOR PERSONALITY PROGRAM FOR GTU – JULY 2012 BATCH


3 OF 15i-become

I hate struggling for a solution.

... continued

This Non-contributor Software Developer does not get involved or put in energy into his work. He is not interested in struggling to find solutions or think creatively about his work. Thus, the software he develops will be very “average” and his work will soon become repetitive and boring.

This Contributor Software Developer is passionate about any work she takes up – whether it is a small program she is writing or a major module she is developing. She loves challenges and goes deeper into the subject to find solutions. Thus, not only is her work enjoyable, but it is also creative and the software she develops will be “great”.

Group Worksheet 9.1:Similarly (as shown in examples 1-4 above), imagine the following situations to visualize how the contributors (who “engage deeply”) would respond differently from the non-contributors shown (who are “disengaged”). Discuss to fill in.

1. Sudhir has been asked to make a report by his boss. Rehan, a senior friend, is guiding him …

One thing I can learn to practice, to “engage deeply” in the way a Contributor does –

continued ...

Sudhir’s response if he is a non-contributor who is disengaged…

What would Sudhir’s response be, if he is a contributor who engages deeply?

4. The Non-contributor Software Developer who is disengaged

The Contributor Software Developer who engages deeply

Sudhir, you can improve your report by doing some research on… You

can also reorganize it in this way…Sudhir, you can improve

your report by doing some research on… You can also reorganize it in

this way…

I don’t know how to do this Rehan and I need to submit this soon. Can you please help me by doing some of this research?

This is too much of effort… I’ll just use the available data instead of

doing more research.

This is so boring…

I don’t like this work…

As we go deeper… any work becomes

interesting.

The purpose is more important than my

“likes” and “dislikes”.

[Imagine and fill in…]

I love challenges.



4 OF 15i-become

... continued

2. Anil’s class is organizing a social service camp in a nearby village.

3. Shylesh has joined work and is going through a 1-week orientation program. Each day, the trainees work in a different department to get exposure. Today Shylesh has been put into the Finance department. Shylesh knows he is never going to get into Finance because he dislikes the subject.

continued ...

Anil’s response if he is a non-contributor who is disengaged…

What would Anil’s response be, if he is a contributor who engages deeply?

Shylesh’s response if he is a non-contributor who is disengaged…

What would Shylesh’s response be, if he is a contributor who engages deeply?

I better keep quiet and not volunteer any ideas. Otherwise they will end up giving me all those

responsibilities…

I will just do the minimum required

things…

I have to only pass away my time today… why put in an effort into this work? After all, I will never go into Finance, so this training is

useless to me…







5 OF 15i-become

Explore more on what it means to be a contributor who engages deeply i-become

AND MORE ...

C1: Is it true that we can be contributors only if we like the work?

C2: What are the outcomes / benefits of “engaging deeply”?

[Log into your account on http://gtu.ibecome.in/ and select Unit 9: Engage Deeply Foundation Concept Exploration]

4. Aditya is finishing off a presentation to be sent to the client. It is late and he wants to go home. He finally completes it. But as he is checking it, he notices some errors…

... continued

Reflection: People who do well and succeed in whatever they take up (academics, extracurricular activities, personal projects, etc.), are able to do so because they “engage deeply” with whatever they do. Why do you think this is so? Discuss to answer.

Aditya’s response if he is a non-contributor who is disengaged…

What would Aditya’s response be, if he is a contributor who engages deeply?


Oh no! Again there are some errors! Correcting these will take

another one hour, at least!

I am tired now and want to go home! I will just send it off like this… maybe the client won’t notice

the errors…




6 OF 15i-become

Also see another example of the importance of having a larger vision of your work on i-become

C3: Having a larger vision of your work motivates you to engage deeply

A1: Why is it important to make an effort to see the connection between your day-to-day work and the larger vision you have of your career and the contribution you seek to make? Explore this through the story of Mihir.

[[Log into your account on http://gtu.ibecome.in/ and select Unit 9: Engage Deeply Foundation]

The history of the Manhattan Project shows that sharing a mission and a vision with the group can provide the necessary inspiration to enable whole-hearted engagement with the work and stretch the limits of performance.

When engineers were first assigned to the Manhattan Project and asked to do a series of tedious calculations, the American army refused to tell them what they were working on. They carried out their work, but slowly and without inspiration.

As the project leaders noticed that work was advancing at a slow pace, they decided to inform the scientists of the true nature of their task. By providing meaning, the leader changed the group dynamics and the team’s results in a spectacular manner. The same engineers, when told that they were building a weapon that was going to end World War II, suddenly found far better ways of completing their tasks. Their assignment became a thrilling and meaningful crusade rather than a routine and tedious job. Almost immediately, they started to do the same work 10 times faster!

This story shows the power available to leaders in defining a mission, offering a vision of the future, and convincing participants that they are part of something that goes far beyond the drudgery of their daily work.

[Source: Excerpt from “Providing a Sense of Deeper Purpose: Leadership Best Practice”, Loick Roche and John Sadowsky]

The Manhattan Project was the effort, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, which resulted in the development of the first atomic bomb during World War II. It lasted from August 1942 to December 1946.

A 1940 meeting at Berkeley with (from left to right) Ernest O. Lawrence, Arthur H. Compton, Vannevar Bush, James B. Conant, Karl T. Compton and Alfred L. Loomis

Operators at their calutron control panels at Y-12. Gladys Owens, the woman seated in the foreground, did not know what she had been involved with until seeing this photo in a public tour of the facility fifty years later

Oak Ridge K-25 Plant

The Manhattan Project created the first nuclear bomb. The Trinity test is shown.

The Manhattan Project Album

9.2 Workplace application 1[CONCEPT APPLICATION]

CASE STORY



7 OF 15i-become

Group Worksheet 9.2:

Clarifying the larger vision that your work is serving, motivates you to “engage deeply” in your work. This is demonstrated through this case of the Manhattan Project Team.

Think of any activity or project task you want to take up or have been assigned to do. Discuss to fill in the following for this activity / task –

Activity or Task:

Develop a larger vision of this activity / task. Describe it below either by writing about it or visualizing it.

HINT:

– What human purpose can you serve through this activity?

– What larger contribution can you make through this work – To yourself? To your peers? To your guide / teacher / parents? To other people who may be involved or affected / benefited by this activity?

– When will you say you have successfully accomplished this activity / task? (look at inner and external success)

– What will be the fruits / benefits of this, if you engage deeply and do a great job to accomplish this task?

What is the goal of this task:



8 OF 15i-become

[Adapted from an obituary in the New York Times – June 11, 2005]

Hamilton Naki, 78, Self-Taught Surgeon, DiesHamilton Naki, a laborer from South Africa, who became a self-taught surgeon of great skill died on May 29, 2005 at his home in Langa, near Cape Town.

not allow blacks from performing surgery on whites, Mr. Naki’s skills were so esteemed that the university quietly looked the other way. He worked alongside Dr. Barnard for decades as a lab technician, perfecting his craft and assisting in many operations on people. Barnard was quoted as saying “If Hamilton had the opportunity to study, he would probably have become a brilliant surgeon” and that Naki was “one of the great researchers of all time in the field of heart transplants”.

Mr. Naki, who left school at 14 and had no formal medical training, spent five decades working at the University of Cape Town. Originally hired as a gardener in 1940, he acquired his surgical skills through years of silent observation and secret practice at the university’s medical school.

In 1954 Robert Goetz of the University’s surgical faculty asked Naki to assist him with laboratory animals. Naki’s responsibilities progressed from cleaning cages to performing anesthesia. Several years after Goetz left, Naki started working for Christiaan Barnard in the laboratory as an assistant. Barnard had studied open-heart surgery techniques in the United States and was bringing those techniques to South Africa. Naki first performed anesthesia on animals for Barnard, but was then “appointed principal surgical assistant of the laboratory because of his remarkable skill and dexterity”. Although South Africa’s apartheid laws did

In 1968, Barnard’s cardiac surgical research team moved out of the surgical laboratory, and Naki helped develop the heterotopic or “piggyback” heart transplantation technique. In the 1970s, Naki left Barnard’s team and returned to the surgical laboratory, this time working on liver transplantation. Mr. Naki also taught surgical techniques to generations of medical students. He retired in 1991. In 2002, Mr. Naki was awarded the Order of Mapungubwe, one of South Africa’s highest honors, for outstanding contribution to medical science. In 2003, the university awarded Mr. Naki an honorary Master of Science degree in medicine.

On i-become also see more examples of contributors, whose commitment to their profession helped them overcome challenging circumstances, to excel

A2: SUDHA CHANDRANDancer and Actress

A3: THE ROEBLINGSThe Engineers who built the Brooklyn Bridge

A4: TANAJI NALAVADEThe Farmer who ran the Mumbai Marathon

[Log into your account on http://gtu.ibecome.in/ and select Unit 9: Engage Deeply Foundation Concept Applications]


ROLE MODEL



9 OF 15i-become


In this story, Mr. Naki’s strong commitment to developing himself as a surgery practitioner, gave him the strength to hold on to this purpose despite the adverse circumstances of apartheid in South Africa.

Explore the power of deep commitment to a life of purpose, by sharing a story of a person you know, whose strong commitment to his / her work gave him / her the strength to overcome all kinds of obstacles / challenges that came up along the way.

For this person, fill in –

Name of the person:

Write of 2 incidents from this person’s life, where some big challenges came up, and how s/he overcame them to stay committed to the purpose.

Incidents and challenges / obstacles faced: How s/he overcame the challenges:

Incident 1:

Incident 2:

What can I learn from this person about how to “engage deeply” ?

Profession / Work / Project that s/he was committed to:



10 OF 15i-become

A gentleman was once visiting a temple under construction. In the temple premises, he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he saw, just a few meters away, that another identical idol was lying.

The gentleman examined the sculpture. No apparent damage was visible.

No! We need only one, but the first one got damaged

at the last stage.

Where is the damage?!

There is a scratch on the nose of that idol.

It will be installed on a pillar 20 feet high

What?? When the idol will be 20 feet away from the eyes of the

beholder, who will notice a scratch on

the nose?

God knows it and I know it.

The sculptor’s assessment of “quality” and what could be “passed” as final, was his own inner sense

of excellence i.e. the urge to do a perfect job. This made his work meaningful to himself.

On i-become see more examples of contributors, who are self-motivated to strive for excellence [Log into your account on http://gtu.ibecome.in/ and select Unit 9: Engage Deeply Foundation Concept Applications]

A5: THE BUS CONDUCTOR AND DRIVER OF THE BUS TO RAJKOT

A6: DAN MAILLETE The Shoemaker

A7: NICOLO PAGANINI The Violinist

A8: SERGEI BUBKA The Sportsman

Do you need two statues of the same idol?

Where are you going to

keep the idol?


STORY



11 OF 15i-become


In this story, the sculptor was self-motivated to do a “perfect job”. No outside person had to tell him how good or bad his work was – he himself knew when he had done a great job and when it was not as perfect as it should have been.

In the workplace, why should you “strive for excellence” in any work you take up? What pay-offs / benefits do you receive through this? Discuss to fill in –

Thus –

What rewards / pay-offs does this lead to in your career?

What inner rewards / pay-offs does this lead to for you?

How will “striving for excellence” impact the quality of any work you produce?

How will this impact the trust your boss / seniors / team-mates have in any work done by you?

Why will this make your work more meaningful and fulfilling?



12 OF 15i-become

Project Goal: To study how people (contributors) “engage deeply” in their work, and how they demonstrated “engaging deeply” practices.

STEP 1: Identify any 2 contributors who you believe are role models in the way they “engage deeply” with their work. (This person may be from any field of work, and may be personally known to you OR may be a well-known personality you have heard / read about OR someone who works in your locality eg: vegetable seller, sweeper, etc.)

STEP 2: Decide how you are going to present your project. As a – • Home-videoproject(recordingavideoofinterviewsetc.tomakeashort-filmonthecase),OR• Slidepresentation(withphotographs,factualdata,insights,sound/music,etc.),OR• Posterpresentation(withphotographs,factualdata,insights,etc.)

STEP 3:Oneachofthese2people,doaresearchstudytocollectdata(video,photographs,data,etc.)foryour project presentation. Your research can include –• Primaryresearchdonebyinterviewingthepersonandotherss/heregularlyinteractswithatwork.• Secondaryresearchdonebyusingtheinternet,goingthroughnewspapersandmagazines,talkingto

experienced people who know this case well.

In your research study, identify specific examples / incidents in this person’s life where the person had – • Takenupanideaandworkeddeeplywiththatideatomakeitareality.• Produced“highquality”work,caringabouttheperfectionandbeautyoftheworkdelivered(trytoget

samples/picturesoftheworkoutput ifpossible).Whataresomeofthechoicess/hehadtomaketoensure this quality? (eg: had to put in extra time and effort)

• Takenupaprojectorvisionandremainedcommittedtoitssuccessdespitemanychallenges/difficulties/ opposition.

• Takenupaseeminglyroutine/boring/smallwork,butdiscovereditwasquiteinterestingandmeaningfulonces/hepouredhis/herfullenergyintoit(doingitwholeheartedly).

Ask him / her to narrate each of these incidents to you, also explaining the “inner as well as external rewards” s/he experienced in each of these incidents.

STEP 4: Make your final presentation by compiling the answers from your interviews / research and your observations on each of these answers, highlighting the “deep engagement” practiced by this person.

STEP 5: Present in the class.

Field Work

9.5 Project Work

[Log into your account on http://gtu.ibecome.in/ and select Unit 9: Engage Deeply Foundation Concept Applications]

OR do the above project (using the same 5 steps as a guideline) for any of the true case stories on i-become

A9: RAKSHA The Dentist

A10: MAHAPATRA The Sand Artist

A8: SERGEI BUBKA The Sportsman

A2: SUDHA CHANDRANDancer and Actress

A3: THE ROEBLINGSThe Engineers who built

the Brooklyn Bridge

A4: TANAJI NALAVADEThe Farmer who ran the

Mumbai Marathon

A5: THE BUS CONDUCTOR AND DRIVER OF THE BUS TO RAJKOT

A6: DAN MAILLETE The Shoemaker

A7: NICOLO PAGANINI The Violinist

NOTE: Don’t just present these clips directly. Instead, study the contributor’s approach in the chosen clip, and then answer the questions given in Step 3 above. Compile your answers to build your presentation.



13 OF 15i-become

What you can do next:

Practice for Examinations on i-become

• Do the quizzes and practice tests to get an idea of what to expect in the examination.

• To access these – – Log into your ActivGuide account on http://gtu.ibecome.in/ – Select Unit 9: Engaging Deeply Exam Revision

Attend the Contributor Classroom for Unit 9 (on Facebook )

• AnonlinediscussionsessionwillbeconductedforUnit9,intheContributorClassroom,toexplorethe practice of “engaging deeply”.

• JoinstudentsandfacultyfromacrossGTUaswediscussthistopic.

• Toparticipate–

– Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/CPP.July2012/

– LoginwithyourownFacebookaccount(ifyoudon’thaveonealready,createnew)

– Click on “join group” button to join the Contributor Classroom

– Once the group moderator approves, you can attend these discussions

– Make sure you register early enough so you don’t miss these sessions

• Toknowtheschedulesforthis,checkyouremail/thei-becomeFacebookpage https://www.facebook.com/ibecomeInitiative



14 OF 15i-become

“

“

“Give up, once for all, this nibbling at things. Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced. Others are mere talking machines. If we really want to be blessed, and make others blessed, we must go deeper.

Take one thing up and do it, and see the end of it, and before you have seen the end, do not give it up. He who can become mad with an idea, he alone sees light. Those that only take a nibble here and a nibble there will never attain anything. They may titillate their nerves for a moment, but there it will end.

Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested all your life. We must have life-building, man-making, character-making, assimilation of ideas. If you have assimilated five ideas and made them your life and character, you have more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library. If education is identical with information, the libraries are the greatest sages in the world, and encyclopedias are the Rishis. No scriptures can make us religious. We may study all the books that are in the world, yet we may not understand a word of religion or of God. We may talk and reason all our lives, but we shall not understand a word of truth until we experience it ourselves. You cannot hope to make a man a surgeon by simply giving him a few books.

Dive deep

Swami Vivekananda wanted each of us to plunge wholeheartedly into the task at hand. It is only through such single-minded devotion can excellence be achieved.

Swami Vivekananda speaks to you



15 OF 15i-become

“

“

Be like the pearl oyster. There is a pretty Indian fable to the effect that if it rains when the star Svati is in the ascendant, and a drop of rain falls into an oyster, that drop becomes a pearl. The oysters know this, so they come to the surface when that star shines, and wait to catch the precious raindrop. When a drop falls into them, quickly the oysters close their shells and dive down to the bottom of the sea, there to patiently develop the drop into the pearl. We should be like that. First hear, then understand, and then, leaving all distractions, shut your minds to outside influences, and devote yourselves to developing the truth within you. There is the danger of frittering away your energies by taking up an idea only for its novelty, and then giving it up for another that is newer.

Getting by heart the thoughts of others in a foreign language, and stuffing your brain with them and taking some university degrees, you consider yourselves educated! Fie upon you! Is this education? What is the goal of your education?

Swami Vivekananda at Nadiad - 2

Swami Vivekananda also met in Nadiad, in April 1892, the famous

Vedantist and a prominent literary figure Manilal Nabhubhai

Dwivedi(b.1858,d.1898).

Throughout the short span of forty years of his life, Manilal tried

to interpret all aspects of human life and civilization in the light of

Advaita Vedanta of Shankaracharya and left behind a rich treasure

of writings in Gujarati and English, which comprises essays,

plays, poems, novels, translations, edited works, compilations,

literary criticisms and book reviews. His paper on Hinduism was

read out in the Parliament of Religions, Chicago in 1893.

Swami Vivekananda also immensely enjoyed his company

during his stay at Nadiad and spoke highly of him in his letter

dated April 26, 1892 to Haridas Desai. Apart from writing more

than sixty books during his lifetime, Manilal also left behind

a few unpublished manuscripts including a work on Swami

Vivekananda, ‘Swami Vivekanandani Americani Mulakato’, which

he wrote before his death in 1898. This gives us an idea of the

reverence with which he looked upon Swami Vivekananda.

Source:ShriRamakrishnaAshrama,Rajkot,website(www.rkmrajkot.org)

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda(PublishedbyAdvaitaAshrama,5DehiEntallyRoad,Kolkata14,India)

Nadiad

The material in this workbook is meant to be studied along with the material available at gtu.ibecome.in

You will find videos, concept presentations, quizzes to improve your understanding of the topic.

Workbook printed from I-Become ActivGuide

unit 9: engage deeply - i-become activguide deeply... · engage deeply unit 9: swami ... the third...

Documents