20.04.2023
How our sense of self affects how we appear to others. I am what I think I am
Putin loves combat sports, especially judo, but does not have the same special feelings for football. However, the media have already declared him the winner of the World Cup.
So far the championship is taking place without serious incidents, and Putin is being praised from all sides for its organization. Russia showed itself in better light and demonstrated an example of what is called soft power in diplomacy. A few months before this spectacle, Western media wrote about Russian hooligans, intimidated with racist attacks, and recalled a new Cold War. However, in last days There are practically no media outlets left that would not publish a political analysis of Putin’s successes, and where they would not come to the conclusion that the Russian president is the absolute winner of this championship.
I watched several times footage of FIFA President Gianni Infantino lavishing compliments on Vladimir Putin. On Friday, the Russian president's guests in the Kremlin were football legends: Uruguayan Diego Forlán, German champion Lothar Matthäus, six-time Premier League winner Rio Ferdinand, Danish king of goalkeepers Peter Schmeichel, Mexican Jorge Campos and World Cup bronze medalist Zvonimir Boban.
“We all fell in love with Russia, a country we didn’t know,” Infantino said, with Matthaus adding that this World Cup is the best he has seen in the last 40 years. Putin slightly (completely self-confident and satisfied) shook his head. In the same way, Jack Nicholson would probably nod his head when listening to him being called a good actor. This is how they react to a clear and irrefutable statement, and this is how those who realize their triumph smile.
Putin smiled much wider when US National Security Adviser John Bolton paid tribute to him in Moscow: “I sincerely thank you for receiving me. And, of course, I will be pleased to learn how you manage to hold the championship so successfully.” In Bolton’s words there is more than just a manifestation of the diplomatic courtesy of a politician who came to agree on the details of the meeting between the Russian leader and American President Donald Trump (the summit is scheduled in Helsinki the day after the end of the World Cup). Putin replied that he was happy to help.
Impeccable organization
In recent days, there have been virtually no media outlets that have not published a political analysis of Putin’s successes, and where they have not come to the conclusion that the Russian president is the absolute winner of this championship. From “Forget about what is happening on the field - there is only one champion” to “The Kremlin’s tactics are bearing fruit at this championship” - all the reviews sound in unison. Making predictions for a championship full of surprises, from which all the favorites have already been eliminated, is a thankless task, but one winner is already known.
“All this is being done so that when we return home, we will tell what a fantastic country Russia is, and what an impeccable organizer Vladimir Putin is,” one of my fellow travelers in Russia told me about ten days ago. I was delighted by the organization - for example, the fact that almost 50 thousand fans after the Croatia - Argentina match were easily and quickly transported to the city center by metro, which could be used free of charge on game days.
Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod before the start of the match Argentina - Croatia
We noted that the police were present but not a nuisance. We praised clean streets, facades that are free of graffiti, trains that run on time and quickly (“Wow, we really set off and arrived minute by minute, as indicated on the schedule,” I was surprised, accustomed to the “standard” of Croatian railways). We praised the separate areas for smoking and drinking alcohol in public places, the kindness of the Russians, the kind volunteers, the good Moscow restaurants with normal prices, where, unlike Croatian establishments, you don’t feel like you’ve been ripped off for three shrimp.
Mobilization on superprojects
I was delighted that with my fan passport I was able to visit the magnificent Tretyakov Gallery for free; that tipsy fans on Kuznetsky Most in Moscow were served by honest bartenders; what's in the shops in the working-class area on the outskirts Nizhny Novgorod The cashiers were kind to me and consulted sheets of paper covered with English phrases. “Du yu nid e beg?” — the cashier asked me when we were buying water...
Few countries are as capable of mobilizing for a super project as Russia. Everything there is grandiose, from the organization of the World Cup to the 19-kilometer bridge that connects Crimea with Russia. The stadiums are impressive, and the average fan in Kaliningrad, Saransk, Volgograd or Rostov is not at all interested in whether they will in the future become monuments to corruption on a gigantic scale.
It is now known that $13 billion was spent on building stadiums and improving infrastructure in 11 cities, which is four times more than the investment in South Africa, which hosted the 2010 World Cup, and twice as much as Brazil's investment. There is no point in talking separately about the profitability of these mega-buildings: just look around and we will see arenas built for the handball championship. Some analysts predict the final cost will be even higher. Nevertheless, Putin wanted to host the World Cup, wanted it at any cost and got it.
Boycott of the championship by Western politicians
The cheerful noise around the stadiums drowned out even internal themes. On the opening day of the championship, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced changes to the pension system, in particular the increase in the retirement age: for women - from 55 to 63, and for men - from 60 to 65. The most prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny called for protests, but only in cities where the World Cup is not being held.
So far the championship is taking place without serious incidents, and Putin is being praised from all sides for its organization. Russia showed itself in the best light and demonstrated an example of what is called soft power in diplomacy. A few months before this spectacle, Western media wrote about Russian hooligans, intimidated with racist attacks, and recalled a new Cold War.
Britain and Western allies have denied accreditation to numerous Russian diplomats following the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called for a boycott of the championship, comparing it to the Olympic Games in Hitler's Germany in 1936.
Who came to the Kremlin?
The royal family and the British minister said they would not attend the opening of the World Cup. The absence of Western leaders at the championship was conspicuous, but the rest of the world did not support these anti-Russian sentiments. Prince Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman watched the first match with Putin, and after Russia beat the Saudis to smithereens with five goals, the leaders joked in the VIP box about the results. After all, the only figure that is truly interesting to them is the price of oil, and they have already discussed it in advance.
The Japanese princess Hisako Tokamado, the first representative of the imperial family to visit Russia since 1916, came to support the blue samurai. She did not meet with Russian officials. However, her eight-day visit was symbolic. The most important was the South Korea-Russia summit, which took place on the eve of the championship. On top level the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was discussed, as well as economic cooperation between the two countries. At a press conference, Presidents Putin and Moon Jae-in announced a strategic partnership.
The Swedes stopped their boycott when their team was lucky in Russia. They write that French President Emmanuel Macron may come to Russia if his team reaches the final. Putin invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the final match, who has not yet confirmed his participation, unlike Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Foreign policy analysts predict the meeting will be highly symbolic and equally vacuous, but Putin will make the most of his diplomatic offensive.
Completion of the chapter that began in Sochi
What is happening is similar to the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014. The show, which cost an estimated 40 billion euros, was intended to return Russia, whose economy had been boosted by ten years of record oil prices, back onto the world stage. But just a few weeks after the closing ceremony, the annexation of Crimea began. Then there was the crash of a Malaysian plane in Eastern Ukraine, suspicions about Russian interference in the American presidential elections in 2016, the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, and military intervention in Syria. The West responded with sanctions.
The World Cup has become an important and big investment for Putin. “People will understand Russia when they come here,” he said a few weeks ago. Having seen the better side of Russia, they will return to England, Belgium, France or Spain, forgetting about Crimea, the violation of human rights and the rights of the LGBT community, the murders of opposition leaders, political prisoners and the autocratic rule of the president. This is the nature of all large-scale events.
In explaining Putin's success, some analysts, like a commentator on the Politico portal, also recalled the classic theory of Elias Canetti, who in the book “Mass and Power” described how power uses the arena. “From the outer side, facing the city, the arena is a lifeless wall. From the inside, a wall of people is being built here. All those present turn their backs to the city. (…) They don’t care about anything that happens in the city. Life with its usual worries, usual rules and habits is pushed aside.”
Nothing exists outside the arena
As Canetti wrote more than half a century ago, the arena limits the mass's need to expand and grow. There are no natural boundaries for growth outside the stadium walls, so they are created artificially. Mastering Canetti's two themes—the masses in front of him and power in his hands—Putin is almost a genius at staging performances, as Politico concludes. During the performance, no one is interested in what is happening outside the walls of the arena.
38 years ago Misha the bear, mascot Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980, cried at the closing. Those games took place amid a strict boycott of the Olympics by the United States and 65 other countries due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Russians have not yet forgotten that humiliation. Polar bear in Sochi in 2014, I also shed a tear at the closing ceremony. Wolf Zabivaka, it seems, will not cry. True, I am finishing this article two hours before the Croatian game with the Russian team, and perhaps Zabivaka will cry a little tonight.
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Let's imagine ourselves as a boss giving orders to his subordinate. How would it feel for you to hear “no” in such a situation? A short, meaningless, negative word. Misunderstanding and irritation are faithful companions of categorical denial. We suggest you familiarize yourself with tips that will help you take the right position in a conversation with your boss and turn the flow of events in the right direction.
You, as a competent employee and specialist who cares about the development of a business or a common cause, are simply obliged to be able to competently present your vision of the situation, and not indifferently deny everything or agree with everything.
The trick is to refuse more diplomatically, to express your point of view without actually using the word “no.” Let us repeat, this categorical denial is often met with a wall of misunderstanding and creates tension in communication.
Situation: lack of time
Instead of: No, I don't have enough time.
Try: Can you help me prioritize my work?
A quick answer about the lack of free time to complete a new assignment may seem like a good option when you are really overwhelmed with work. But the manager, with this answer, may doubt your ability to properly plan your working time.
In this case, it seems more profitable to offer the boss to jointly plan the implementation of previously assigned tasks. It’s good if at this time you have some kind of schedule or employment plan at hand. Act according to the principle: don’t tell, but show. Reinforce the visual information with words about the estimated amount of time needed for already planned tasks, mentioning that you will have to postpone for a short time or stop for a long time the implementation of current goals if new instructions are received.
In this situation, you will demonstrate the ability to strategically think and plan, and also show your focus on the fastest final result. The choice will be up to the boss. It is up to him to weigh and make a decision. Thus, the task can be delegated to another employee, or your current assignments will give way to it. In any case, you will agree on a plan for further action and stop worrying and being overwhelmed by multiple tasks.
Situation: you fundamentally disagree with the proposed strategy
Instead of: No, I don't think that will work.
Say: May I suggest another idea?
Even if you think that you would never take this path when working with a client, and how could you even think of this before, remember that such harsh thinking does not contribute to the search for the optimal option and nipping the birth of new ideas in the bud.
Try asking yourself and your boss the question: “Can I suggest another idea?” In this case, two scenarios are possible. You will hear "yes" or "no". If the answer is affirmative, which is most likely what will happen, then you have a chance to prove the correctness of your vision and direct the vector of events in the direction you need.
If you hear a negative answer, then treat it with understanding. Apparently, the decision was made thoroughly and deeply thought out, and it may also have additional, unknown to you, implications. In any case, you will present yourself from the best side, showing your initiative and desire to participate in the discussion of business process development strategies.
Situation: you just don't want to
Instead of: Damn! No!
Say: Of course.
One of the employees must be the first to arrive at work in the morning. Someone has to work late. If you work in a company with a small staff, a deadline looms on the horizon, or peak seasonal work is ahead, then your chances of hearing your boss ask you to do extra work increase. The first thing that usually comes to our mind in this case is the desire to exclaim: “Why me? Is there no one to do this work?”
Hearing something like this will be unpleasant for each of your colleagues. After such words, no one will consider you a team player. And what kind of corporate spirit can we talk about now? You should be wary of such statements, so as not to be branded as a bigot or an arrogant person who is in a special position.
However, you can still say no if the task will distract you from other projects or you feel like someone else is dumping their work on you. Try the first two tips.
If common sense tells you that this work should be done by you despite laziness, express your internal and external agreement. Saying “yes” to yourself will make it easier for you to complete the task. When agreeing with your boss, do not forget to additionally remind your manager about the overtime work that you have already been assigned. Emphasize what useful non-work activities you have already completed. This step will increase your chances of receiving a salary increase and will present you as a hardworking employee.
Words are better than silence
Let's summarize. A boss who doesn’t refuse his orders is a boss with whom you can negotiate. Bringing your own perspective to the situation puts you in a comfortable position where you won't get bogged down by other people's commands and decisions.
5 minutes to read.
Show yourself the positive sides of your personality, present yourself in the best light, and people will perceive you the same way. A person's appearance reflects his inner world. What we think about ourselves cannot remain unnoticed by others. It is naive to believe that you can hide behind beautiful and stylish clothes, a forced, artificial smile or tinted windows of a new car. Our sense of self is that invisible form that determines both the outer shell and the message from us to the outside, unconsciously perceived by the people around us. I am what I think of myself. And I don’t just think, but I confidently feel and tune in with my whole being.
