Experiences Post Retirement

POST RETIREMENT EXPERIENCES
I superannuated after my over 35 year stint with the public sector behemoth, SAIL, about 18 years ago. Parting after such a long association and demiting office from near the top of the chosen profession left me with a mixed bag of feelings. A tug at the heart for sudden rupture of bonhomie with old colleagues at top and bottom rungs of hierarchy and with peers, and feeling of immense relief on offloading of the heavy responsibilities on somebody else's shoulders, were most dominating in my frame of thinking.
I had got the retirement order after a short extention, and could have got more extensions had I tried, but I found the private sector beckoning me with open arms and somewhat lucrative offers.So I said goodbye to my longtime benefactor and finally quit.The almost unlimited growth oppotunities, excellent work culture and long experience in handling men, material and equipment had prepared me adequately for tackling new challenges, and I embarked on my new avatar with enthusiasm.However, after starting off, one of the first lessons that I learnt was to hang my ego, whatever little of it I had, on a convenient peg in my house, before dealing with my new masters
. Various techniques in management of resources, finance, time, men, machines, oppotunities etc we had been taught sufficiently in reputed management schools and institutions in the country and abroad during the public sector life, but very little of an important skill, that is, how to manage the boss.And that too a boss who has no boss over him.I found that many of my erstwhile colleagues who too had joined the private sector on leaving SAIL, on superannuation or after taking voluntary retirement, did not survive in the new environment for more than a few months.The majority of private sector organisations, specially in our country, are family owned and family managed and headed by a senior member of the family, quite often alone when he is young, and later, with the assistance of his close kith and kin.The new entrant in such an organisation who has had a long innings in public sector companies is subjected to a cultural shock, at least in the beginning.He realises soon enough that the Managing Director who is also the owner of the company is a tougher nut to crack.
Very often this top man has had no structured management training and has built his empire by dint of hard work and after suffering many ignominies at the hands of Babus and upstarts of the Government and quasi-government organisations he had to deal with in his march to the top.He might have therefore imbibed a feeling of mistrust and dislike for the persons as a class who belong to this stock. His likes and dislikes ars usually quite defined and strong, and he would never like to change, if he could. And admitting that he made a mistake? No, never !. By the time the new fellow understands these facts and takes corrective action, it is usually too late.He is politely told that this company is too small for a talented person like him, and is presented the cheque for the days worked with a flourish.The survivor, if any, now encounters other dangers lurking around the corner.There is a large band of old timers, including confidants of the big boss or their close cohorts, who are watching the poor newcomer like a hawk. They would be happy to grab a chance to pass on to the top any information regarding the house rules flouted or the family traditions broken by the fellow during his learning process, who inspite of being stared at by people unseen by him, has to perform well in the area of his core competence for which he was hired. At this stage the new man has to do something spectacular, like using his old association and influence in his previous company for the benefit of the present employer.This is a dangerous ground.He will find soon enough that all respect and regards he had built up in his long service with the previous company will melt away in no time. His earlier subordinates whose career he had carefully nurtured in the past to take them to their present level of authority will start shunning him. Very soon he will become persona non grata where he was earlier ruling the roost..
The reader of this article may now tend to think that a retiree from a government or public sector company has got no place for him in a private organisation. and such an organisation is meant only for those who are born and brought up there itself. The fact is that many persons who had spent a very long time in ' Sarkari ' companies are doing exceedingly well after they have shifted to the private companies of family owned type or professionally managed corporate houses.The concerned person, of executive or non executive cadre, has to outshine in performance in the specialised field for which he was basically hired. Value addition should be perceivable, so much so that he creates an aura of irreplacibility around him.This stage obviously will take some time to be achieved.To start with, the new man has to assume a non-dominant position, with eyes and ears wide open to fit himself smoothly into the new position. A rudimentry knowledge of human psychology will be of great help to guide him to mete out the right treatment to the people at different levels he is dealing with.
For two successive years after retirement I was invited by my public sector employers to speak to their about-to-retire executives with a view to prepare them for the impending separation. Although I had not really retired from active working life, only there had been a change of employers, I decided to do justice to the presentation to my old fellow executives. With the help of some material available in the library ( Google uncle of internet was possibly not born at that time ), and the drawing skill of the renowned cartoonist Pandurang Rao, who was a close friend of mine, I prepared lot of transparencies.My two hour talks were acclaimed as hits.It appears that the Organisers of my lectures were not aware of my employment status, for I was not the right choice to speak on the subject at that point of time.But the participants appeared to be more knowledgeable. Immediately after the talk, I used to be surrounded by quite a few participants, some with their bio-data and job applications written out and ready to be given to me, asking to be considered for a job in my company or with some other likely employer known to me.
After having put in about fifteen years of service with private sector firms, both family owned and a corporate house, I decided to hang my boots, and finally took voluntary retirement four years ago. Enough of having a boss breathing down my neck, however good he may be as a person, and following an eight to five schedule, day in and day out.I could, after all these years, act on the advice I gave to the would-be-retirees many years ago on how to lead a meaningful retired life. So I am now game for organising training programmes for retirees, and also for those who want to bag a job with private sector players,and keep it for as long as they wish. Any takers ?

Author: S.S.Seth