Mahadeva, a man who lived on the streets of India with his mother, began burying unclaimed bodies when asked by local police. Over time, he buried over 42,000 bodies without pay and was recognized by the chief minister for his service. Though he worked independently without supervision, Mahadeva is considered a true professional for his dedication and ability to self-manage his important work.

1. The Professional 4th February 2011

2. The Professional Am I a true professionalWhat qualities would make me a better professional What is professional ethics

3. Professional What it really takes to call oneself a true professional

4. Unclaimed bodies MahadevaMother and son lived on the streets They stayed outside a hospital on the roadsCops ,oneday asked him to bury and unclaimed bodyFrom then on, any claimed body was buried by him without any helpHis dedication created demand for himThe horse he used to carry the bodies diedHe bough a vehicle with the horse as the logo

5. Unclaimed Bodies contd.42,000 bodiesLocal petrol pumps don’t charge for fillFelicitated by the chief minister of Karnataka for the service rendered to abandoned citizens Mahadeva: high performer, true professionalAbility to work unsupervised and certify his work

6. Why is he a professionalCops do not supervise himHe is not an employee of the hospitalHe has no boss to write his appraisal He does it well without supervision

7. Justice murdered News item in Times of India Caught on the backfoot, after a shocking TV expose, a new public prosecutor will be name in the high profile murder trial involving a BMW car driven by Sanjiv Nanda, police officials said. Mohan will replace IU Khan, who will be removed after a TV news channel, on Wednesday purportedly showed collusion between prosecution and defence attorneys, seeking to bribe the sole witness to change his testimony.

8. Justice murdered ( contd.) Prosecutions case seemed to hinge on the eyewitness account of a lone survivorIt was this man who was sought to be bought over Who were involved in the effort to buy himBoth the defence counsel and the prosecution counselCountry's two top lawyers One has represented two sitting prime ministers Other with impressive clientele Both lawyers are not professionals, though they are from the best law colleges

9. What integrity means in professional contextWe follow the rules Where rules do not exist , we use fair judgmentWhen in doubt we seek counsel Finally, faced with dilemma, we ask ourselves can my act stand public scrutiny without causing embarrassment to me and my family If these four tenets are applied our professional conduct will meet the highest standards of integrity

10. Being authentic“ how’ve you been? I been reading so much about you and the success of your company, by the way my uncle was asking about you the other day. He thinks very highly of you” No point in being inauthentic and insincere Being authentic sometimes may get us a ‘no’, but is better than hollowness as the world is small Professional world really craves authenticity and is not old fashioned

11. Seeking helpSeeking help from someone – a peer, a mentor, your supervisor, even a junior – is not a sign of the weak. The moment we seek help, we actually expand inner capacity; we create the emptiness into which other pour in their capabilities

12. Having a reasonable view of the futureBuilding a view of the future and knowing where you are headed Sense of destination gives people what victor Frankel, celebrated psychologist refers as ‘something to look forward to’ in his book mans search for meaning Survived Nazi concentration camp. Studied the people who survived the brutality Those who survived the camp did so on the strengthy of their sense of journey They believed they had an unfinished task to do. They felt that it was they who were in charge despite the helpless immediacy of their circustances

13. Beating emptiness The day you feel emptyShift the attention from yourself to others Spend time with interns Take on pro-bono work with your industry associationThe pitcher of emptiness fills

14. Being self observantClose your eyes in a quite place and for a few minutes Count the sounds When the session ends people miss Hum of air conditioner ductAnd their own breathingWhen you can hear your own breathing , you begin to observe yourself

15. Being self observantClose your eyes in a quite place and for a few minutes Count the sounds When the session ends people miss Hum of air conditioner ductAnd their own breathingWhen you can hear your own breathing , you begin to observe yourself

16. Courtesy and humility N.R. Narayanamurthy “ you are AmitabhBachan and you show grace and courtesy – that is when it matters. Not when you are just an aspiring actor’ Lesson: how we treat our vendors

17. Doing more by doing lessDoing more, being engaged 24 x 7 does not mean you are achieving moreChallenge is doing more by doing less Disengage from doing too many things learn something newSport, foreign language Musical instrument Knowledge intensive world, the only way you can remain ahead is by learning

18. Mavens, connectors and EvangelistsMake a short list of professionals DoctorsJournalist EconomistFilm makers ArchitectsYoung entrepreneurs He talks to these people These people are ‘connectors’

19. Mavens, connectors and EvangelistsWorld of a professional consists of mavens, connectors and evangelists Maven is someone who produces and trades knowledge A group of mavens is usually connected to an expert who is a connector Connector provides clarification , linkages, assistance to other connectors Group of connectors may link up to an evangelist who is the last word in a particular field This will cut down time spent on research etc

20. Commitment After a keynote address in DelhiJournalist: 1Young journalist of a National magazine wants an interviewLack of time. Asks her to mail questionaireEntrepreneur: 2 Want so chat with him in Delhi, but is from chennaiAuthor is visiting chennai and asks her to meet him nest day morning Both the persons did not respond after the meeting .

21. Be prepared Prepared individuals project a good image of the company and of themselves Example of doctor: who knows the history of the patient. Patient is in safe hands “Arrive before you arrive”

22. transparency2008, Mind tree won its single largest deal – mittal steel after they acquired Arcelor. Task: improve cost, performance and profitability using off shore IT capability Operations chief of MT Europe, Vishaal Gupta communicated to ArcelorMittal that MT was not their best choice based on skill assessment and said that MT would pitch only if allowed to make a partial bid. AM told them that they were the only that was honest to admit limitations . They were asked to make a complete bid.

23. Responsibility of dissent Satyam Eminent people failed the shareholders, 53,000 employees and their families and the entire industry by their Bizarre approval of the land dealAbilene Paradox – management story in which a group of people agree to a course of action that is counter to individual preferenceHow people agree to do strange things when they suppress their own voice and simply go along with what everyone else is saying The Abilene paradox should be seen by any professional who is part of any group that deliberates on issues of conseqence

24. Multiple intelligences IQ – equated with left brain activity. Mathematical – logical in nature Yesr 1900: city of Paris witnessed huge influx of villagers who migarated along with their childrenMandatory: children between 6 and 14 attend school. To cope with the influx , authorities needed assess the intelligence of children.They turned to a self taught pscychologist named Alfred Binet, who devise a method, which is the IQ test. US army became its largest user.Howard Gardener’s work bought to the notice of people the limited nature of the Math-logical capability His book MI lists 8 other forms of intelligence : literary, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intra-personal, spatial, naturalistic and finally spiritual.

25. Unprofessional Missing a deadlineNon-escalation of issues on time Non-disclosureNot respecting privacy of informationNot respecting need to knowPlagiarismPassing on the blame overstating qualification and experience Mindless job hopping Unsuitable appearance