The Power of Power

That was the first time since I started my 9-year old career, I realized what it takes to be Powerless. It was the second day of the three days of ISO/TS audit. In the morning hours, before the Auditors stepped in, a communication mail popped up in the inbox. It was an information of a change in Auditor team as one of them who was supposed to visit was replaced by another.

What really stopped me for a moment was the name of the new Auditor. Yes, it looked quite familiar to me and with little bit of rewind, I was spot on. It was the same Gentleman who used to answer my queries however stupid and silly they are, just because he represented an Organization that had a Business relationship as a Supplier with the one I represented. I was then a Customer responsible for upgrading the Quality System of this Supplier Organization where my Auditor once belonged to. Somewhere I also remembered a personal mail from the Gentleman informing me of joining a Certification body. More than a Customer-Supplier, we did share a friendly relationship, so was the case with all the Suppliers I managed (Boast intended).

As I remained frozen with thoughts of those days, with a light jerk from a colleague I came into reality to the second day of our Audit. I was curious to meet my Auditor-turned-Supplier and was awaiting the first tea break without wanting to disturb the most Powerful person inside our campus on that particular day.

To my pleasant surprise, he hugged me and even introduced me to my other colleagues as his own mentor who taught so much about Quality, thanks to his humility. Our colleagues around wanted me to co-ordinate Audit for the rest of his session, probably wanting to take undue advantage, if any, of our familiarity. Of course, the Auditor was very friendly towards me and never portrayed an ego of a normal Auditor. With others, he was Auditor as usual. For the time period I was inside the room as a coordinator, I really felt the role reversal and change of Power. I realized what it takes to be Powerful and what it takes to be powerless.

I told myself, hey be an Auditor, or a Customer at Supplier end, or own a Business, lot of Power go with these.