Coaches...in all forms!
Krishnan Vaidyanathan
Building People-Centric Organisations globally II Coach II ex-Asian Paints
A year gone by
It has been a year since we shifted to the UK to a fairly different life style (...and a similar life). And in the last one year have met people from a lot of different milieu - different countries, different walks of life, non-corporate spaces, age groups, economic strata and so on.
Life offers us these opportunities to learn from others. Many people do this by reading books and others through conversations with different people. As I reflect on the year gone by, there are some life learnings from people around.?
Our landlady in our hearts
Our 65-year-old British landlady, has been renting her place for lodgers for more than 2 decades. She has had a variety of people staying with her, mostly students, as Brighton is about the University of Sussex (and of course the beach!). These students have been from Africa, Italy, Greece and other places. My daughter is absolutely in love with her and likes to spend a lot of time with her.
One of the most admirable thing about her is her ability to be present in the moment and therefore the energy she brings to the space. Whatever be the emotional charge in the environment she just listens before reacting. I do think that having interacted with so many diverse people her mind and intellect is so tuned to be accepting and therefore enjoying everything around. She is starting to learn a bit of Indian cooking and using Indian spices in her preparation. I wish that I have the same approach and spirit at that age. She embodies the ideal state in:
DIVERSITY is being asked to the dance. INCLUSION is being asked to dance. EQUITY is how much space on the floor you get. BELONGING is who gets to choose the music.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????(www.careerplace.com)
A professional friend from around the globe
I had met Stephen Berkeley during a values initiative in Asian Paints. We reconnected again recently and it was amazing the kind of questions he asked me of my last one year and what I had experienced for myself.
As I was speaking to him, I unearthed for myself what the last year brought me. We end up doing a lot of things in life. I was sharing about my experience working for charities in India. Here in the UK too, I am actively involved with few of them. The difference for me was that, the work or involvement was reaching deeper within me, as the last one year gave me more time to reflect. The question is not always how much you are able to transform things around you, but also how much do they transform you. In the hustle-bustle of living, what we do, sometimes does not touch our core, our soul.
He went on to share a conversation with Dr. Neil Hawkes (1) – the power of the pause and how organisations should encourage in different ways employees to take time out – in order to reflect and expand one’s soul. Dr. Neil gives a wonderful explanation to P.A.U.S.E - Peace, Awareness, Understanding, Self- leadership, Ethical Intelligence.
Thomas L Friedman captures this very beautifully in one of his lesser known works (surprisingly) (2), when he says:
“Technologist want us to think that patience (pausing) became a virtue only because in the past “we had no choice”…. Patience wasn’t just absence of speed. It was the space for reflection and thought… And it is not just knowledge that improved by pausing. So too is the ability to build trust…”
A Timeless Author (…and the timeless detectives!) of fiction
As we came to the land of Agatha Christie(Poirot!), my daughter and I have started watching Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple stories on television every Sunday. For me it has been a great time of reliving my childhood books.
It is intriguing how Miss Marple always starts explaining human behaviour in any part of the world by stating how things remind her of her village of St. Mary Mead.
The Ex-Commissioner of Scotland Yard, asks her (Mrs. Bantry) to invite Miss Marple to join the dinner party. “But how extraordinary! Why, dear old Miss Marple has hardly ever been out of St. Mary Mead.” “Ah! But according to her, that has given her unlimited opportunities of observing human nature.”??????????????????????????????????
?- The Murder at the Vicarage (1930)
We are all very much alike, but fortunately we don’t realise it. Our life experiences help us to understand ourselves better. The village or the community is a microcosm of the world, the family that of the community and so on. Ivar Lukk (www.casehub.pro), a professional coach I interact with, shares that the super power of a leader is to be able to understand the people in their teams. Going deep within helps leaders to do just that.
Making it deliberate
As I think about these learnings, I realise that such opportunities are available day-in and day-out for all of us. It is about conversing with a confidant who asks you questions to help build on your experiences.
In Avadhuta Gita, in Bhagavatam, one of the main Hindu scriptural texts, when King Yadu asks Avadhuta, how is he so blissful, he replies that he learnt from 24 Gurus!
?????? ???????????????????????????? ???? ?
?????????? ??????? ?????? ?????????? ? ???
????? ????? ???? ??????? ??????????? ?
?????? ?????????? ????????? ????????? ? ???
- XIth Canto, Chapter 7, 33 & 34
He says he has learnt from the earth, air, sky, water, fire, moon, sun, pigeon, python, sea, moth, bee, elephant, honey=gatherer, deer, fish, courtesan, osprey, child, maiden, arrow-maker, snake, spider, brahmara-kita. He then goes to share what he has learnt from each of them in the rest of the Gita.
We can learn from life around us, but like King Yadu we all need someone to lead us on, to show us a different way to look at things. We need a constant changeless entity to help create the journey of change for ourselves. So, look for that coach who will help you make the practice of learning from experiences, from people and from your own life more deliberate, mindful and purposeful.
References:
2.?Thomas L Friedman, Thank You for Being Late – An optimist’s guide to thriving in the age of accelerations, 2016
We are looking for talented and motivated individuals to join our team! If you are looking for a new role and a great opportunity, we want to hear from you [email protected], for any partnership and collaboration use [email protected]. Please join our community. Thank you for your interest. #letsconnect #hiringnow #nowhiring
Change and Culture Facilitator | I help organisations, communities and individuals change and adapt to a new world
1 年What a powerful exercise Krishnan Vaidyanathan. Reflecting on your year gone by and sharing it with others so they can learn from your insights. Glad my questions unearthed some light bulb moments. Neil Hawkes is an ocean of wisdom and loved his P.A.U.S.E.
Lovely anecdotes and insight Krishnan.