Nishant Mittal, Co-Founder of ‘The Testament’ and ‘Cread’ strongly encourages No Sir No Madam ethics. ‘The Testament’ provides tech-based manpower outsourcing services to companies for market acquisition and research activation across the nation. While Cread is a crowd-based advertising platform that helps companies spread their messages through people.
Studying engineering from a tier-2 college, Nishant was aware of the challenges he would have to face ahead. Hence, he wanted to break out of the inferiority complex of not being from a prestigious college. This is when he teamed-up with his friends and co-founded ‘The Testament’.
Nishant ensures to the first-name habit of addressing someone in his daily life. Even at his company, team members do not have to follow any salutation mandate. He states — I do not ask anyone to refer to me as ‘Sir’. However, some of my team-mates still do so. It is ingrained into our minds to address someone in a senior profile with a salutation. Although, to impose ‘Sir/Madam’ culture on subordinates is totally wrong.
Furthermore, he voices, “Obligatory salutation customs create a barrier between effective communications within a company.” It fabricates discrimination based on hierarchical levels. A team member will not be motivated to work, if treated as unimportant. Hence, No Sir No Madam practice should be inculcated in such companies to imbibe mutual-respect.
He happily enunciates that, some organizations have started exercising first-name custom. This casual style of addressing colleagues and senior helps in forging better relationship and increasing the efficiency. “I have some friends working in companies where ‘the American-culture’ exists. No one addresses each other as ‘Sir/Madam’ and still respect each other.”
Ergo, Indian companies should not refrain from adopting a culture that is beneficial and unpretentious. Enforcing a formal obeisance is commonly followed in the government sector in India. Officials display their authority by imposing ‘Sir/Madam’ order on their subordinates and the civilians. Nishant opines that No Sir No Madam revolution is much-needed in the public sector.
Bureaucrats and clerks at such offices are egotistical and snobbish. Therefore, it is critical that these government functionaries are educated about No Sir No Madam contention. Nishant conjectures, “They should be made to sign a petition to expel reverence edict.” Besides, educating the public sector, Nishant suggests teaching children about No Sir No Madam theory. As this would encourage kids to go beyond the salutations in the quest of being respectful.
Schools should go deeper in explaining kids about the mutual-respect concept. They should be made to realize that they are not being better by addressing someone as ‘Sir/Madam’.
“I believe genuinely respecting an individual is more important than just obeying a custom.”
In conclusion, Nishant postulates — respect is a single word with enormous meaning. However, there are different ways to portray respect. We should not limit ourselves to the notion that only salutation displays respect. I believe No Sir No Madam cause is worth fighting for. We need to keep our heads high-up and challenge the mindset of the masses. As George Patton said, “It is better to fight for something than live for nothing.”
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