Is “polishing the blemishes” a key to survival in this difficult corporate environment – a thought…

I am writing in after what seems like ages!!

I am back to the corporate world, though the transition was not easy; I guess I had got used to the 24x7 “idyllic” lifestyle at the IIM campus. Strangely, have been very busy ever since I stepped into the corporate world – getting used to a relatively new environment, new profile, very different “waking hours,” and dealing with the more mundane things in life. But net net, it is great to be back in a world where some money flows into your bank at the end of the month!

A few days ago an ex-PGPX peer reminded me of a phrase that one of the marketing gurus at IIM used a couple of times during his sessions:

"When you paint wood, you're trying to hide blemishes. When you polish wood, you're trying to show blemishes as quality."

I laughed it off then taking it to be one of the professor’s ways of exhibiting his deep philosophical insight into the world of marketing. Now however when I think of it, there is a much deeper meaning to it. Especially in the corporate world where everyone seems to be trying to “paint” their own personality and skill set to map with what the company demands of them, this phrase seems so true.

I ask: isn’t there merit in diversity, being different (and being proud of the difference), having the will and the courage to polish your “blemishes?”

I strongly feel there is. During this economic downturn when the mantra to succeed in the corporate world is to think-out-of-the-box, being mere “clones” and hiding our blemishes is not going to take us too far. “Polishing” our blemishes into key differentiators in personality or skill is what one need to move forward.

Let me stop here before I get into the philosophical gyan mode. But the message is certainly worth a thought I would say.