Sunday, April 1, 2007

PGPX II takes relationship building to the next level!!!

This just in: the PGPX guys are getting along famously well and all of us are really getting overwhelmed in our excitement to build long lasting relationships. Believe me, in this effort of our’s, we are leaving no stone unturned. For example the following is a true story which chronicles the trials and tribulations that our friend Ram had to undergo in bonding with PGPX guys popping up left, right and centre in the greater Ahmedabad region.

The three musketeers (me, Anuj and Ram) were out shopping at the network neighborhood Star Bazzaar and we were delighted to find that the PGPX factor among the customer crowd was a little on the higher side. So much so that every other guy in the store was a PGPX guy, outnumbering even the store employees. And needless to say we were having a ball of a time shopping it up and building active friendships.

That is when Ram spotted a typical PGPX candidate (middle aged, good looking, well dressed, with a pleasing demeanor) and was quick to pounce on the bonding opportunity.

Ram (offering a firm but polite handshake): Hi, I am Ram

Stranger (with a very bewildered but friendly smile on his face): Hi, I am Mahesh

Ram (All excited with the progress he is making): So when did you reach Ahmedabad?

Stranger (puzzled by the lack of direction, this interaction was taking): I have always been in Ahmedabad

Ram (Piling on the questions with no let up in the horizon): PGPX right?

Stranger (dumbfounded by how his vocabulary was being challenged by a new word, but managed to do some quick thinking on the feet and kind of guessed that this might be a new educational qualification being thrown at him. He obviously didn’t like how his qualifications were being questioned, openly in a grocery store and that too by strangers who have just met him up. He was also clearly apologetic on his face with the growing realization that the weaknesses in his current educational background might be exposed any time): No, I am an ICWA.

Ram (still not ready to let up): That is great. Finance guys are the best of our batch.

Meanwhile, the witnesses (me and Anuj) were totally getting jealous by how Ram was able to pick PGPX participants up randomly from among strangers and bond with them in real time, all the while with a “guys don’t try this at home” look. We were making mental notes and also getting ready to give Ram a hero’s ovation once he will be back amongst us after his bonding escapades.

But the stranger was loosing the plot rapidly and he stopped short of taking the conversation further and that is when Ram finally decided to have a semblance of doubt that this poor chap could also be a “Not PGPX, just shopping” participant. Some more cross questionings later Ram’s worst fears were proven true and we all had to beat a hasty retreat from the store in a hurry.

Morals of the Story:

Relationship building best practice:

If he looks like, walks like, talks like and shops like PGPX material, it still gives us no right to cross question strangers on their educational qualifications, especially when they are trying to get their weekly groceries done.

Retail domain tip for the day:

Commitment fees: 2L
Course fees : 8L
Caution deposit : 25, 000
Dumbfounding grocery shoppers using “PGPX”: Priceless

Some things, they don’t teach you at Harvard; there is only the PGPX....

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