Being mindful at work

This time last year, I took on a new geo-distributed organization focused on shopping within Microsoft. But, before I could make the round trip around the world to meet my new team, the pandemic gained foothold and remote work became the new normal.

Over the Holidays, I reflected on how to build on what 2020 taught us. One key area of focus for me is to be more mindful of how I work in 2021. These are small incremental changes that are having material impact.

Say no to busy work - If your work is anything like mine, you have joined a meeting and 10 minutes in you are not sure why. It is easier than ever to meet someone. But ask yourself whether your plan for the next 30 minutes is to do busy work or real work. Busy work is stress inducing and the 30 minutes can be better used to have some thinking time while taking a stroll outside or doing some breathing exercise! Thinking time helps provide better clarity. The way we think, or fail to think, has an impact on our leadership ability.

Connect deeply vs interact - I have spent countless hours with some of the members of my geo distributed team. But I have never met them, in person! It’s easy to hop on/off conference calls at different hours of the day. But, turning the camera on even if you are not looking your best, can go a long way. Treat each interaction with team members to connect, not to do business. I was never big on turning video on, but as a people person, the camera now turns on by default and what an incredible difference it has made. Yes, it still bothers me that I haven't met my 'new' team in person even after a year, but I really feel the connection with them.

Create space for your hobbies - Every time, I get mad at my kids for excess screen time, I see a voice on my shoulder doing the same to me about excess work. After months of fooling myself that work was the pastime, I have started making space for real pastimes. I never knew how many houses were in my neighborhood, now I know their colors too. I am reading a lot more…Ride of a Lifetime was an amazing book I read in 2020. I got back into playing Bridge and daydream of playing against Bill Gates and Warren Buffett someday…why not!

A month into new year, I have been doing these quite diligently. Hope to keep up with it…