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Always expectation comes with recognition. If this cardinal management message is not understood by people in the corporate, they bound to make their life miserable and sorrowful. Recognition to some innovative ideas, work approach or accomplishing the task etc., is what everyone longing to have in the corporate world. Once they are recognized, they assume that such ‘recognition’ should stay permanent with an everlasting luster. But unfortunately the expectation overrules recognition or in other words, future overtakes the past and thereby the past become redundant.

The speed and definition of expectation of the recipient and the giver in the corporate are totally different. Unfortunately every recognition in the corporate world leads to new expectations. The people in the corporate will be always looking for what extent the expectations are fulfilled than what recognition was given to a person in the past. When the expectations are not met with, naturally the criticism fills the space. Under such circumstances, none would love to recall or reminisces the past recognitions of the person.

More often people find such situation very miserable. They often speak to the self that despite having achieved so much to the organization and also having got recognized by the same organization in the past, why none respect them at present. They wish that they should be always remembered for their recognition. In truth, no organization can limit their responsibility to just keep remembering the recognitions of the employees. How different is the performance of the people post recognition will the natural search of every corporate.

The moment someone gets recognized, they by default raise their level above the space of task for which they were recognized. Hence the subsequent performances are expected to be significantly different and distinguished. The interesting philosophy of the corporate is that the outstanding performers should always give outstanding performance and the average performers can remain average forever.

If the outstanding performers fail to exhibit outstanding performance are heartlessly shown the door while the bouquet of average performers will be making merry out of their life in the organization. Average performers are always safe in most corporate.

The idea of the article is not to belittle the corporate philosophy or telling people to be average performers so they can have reasonable job security. If you are a super performer and you are recognized in the corporate, remember that your recognition is just momentary and it never gets carry forward. By earning recognition, you have only raised the expectation of your corporate on you. If you fail to meet such expectations, you will be eliminated or removed.

The dominant male lion in the pride has lot to offer to the pride. Every occasion when there is threat from other territorial males, the alpha male has to fight and protect the pride. The recognition of the alpha male as the head of the pride is always linked with the definite expectations of all the lions that it would protect the pride. If it fails to do so, it will be finds no place in the pride.

Recognition never offers any security to the lion but how well it meets the expectation of the pride only give him the status of the head. The lion never differentiate the expectation of the pride from its own. Hence it commit fully to the cause.

The message to be learned by the corporate is that never assumes that your recognition will give you total immunity from attack but it will only make you more vulnerable. Ones commitment increases with recognition.

If one longs for recognition, one has to be prepared to work more to meet the increased expectation of others. If such willingness is not there, never aspires to have any recognition in your career.

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai