The five people you (should) meet at work!

Recently I read a wonderful book by Mitch Albom-The 5 people you meet in heaven

It follows the life and death of an individual wherein he meets 5 people who had a significant impact on him while he was alive. The story is eloquently written, inspiring and touches the very core of your heart.

This book stayed with me long after I finished reading it. Amongst a lot of thoughts, it re-iterated the realization of how important people are in all walks of life be it personal or professional.

You can never be a genuine and evolved professional till you meet these 5 types of people.

Read on:

1)?????The friend

Contrary to popular belief, everyone should have a friend at work. To be in sync with what everyone says about not having a friend at work, I would suggest having a good friend outside of your immediate team.

Be it sharing news, seeking advice, venting out or just chatting about the latest Netflix hit over lunch, you need a friend to remain ‘sane’ in office.

The workplace could get intimidating at times and having a friend to be with you through the ups and downs (loosely translated as appraisals, layoffs, pressing deadlines) is a blessing.

2)?????The mentor

It’s important to realize early on in your career that as you grow up the corporate ladder, the more confused you will be mostly due to the plethora of options available to you or its lack thereof!

You need an unbiased person in your life who can act as your sounding board when facing a conflict. Each important juncture in your career will be the result of a calculated decision you take. Your mentor can show you a 360 degrees view of the situation at hand and offer valuable suggestions.

It took me a lot of time to appreciate the fact that there are very few genuine people who will offer you suggestions completely devoid of their own interests and perceptions!

3)?????The Hustler

Each one of us gets demotivated at times. Its natural, normal, and inherent human nature.

Thus, you need someone whom you can look up to and get going again.

It could be a peer, a senior or even a junior.

Someone who works hard, has amazing ideas, is constantly upskilling and basically inspires you to do your best.

I am a big propagator of healthy competition, and such a hustler can help foster exactly that.

4)?????The Devil

This is the person you never want to be like. But the most important person you need to meet!

Early on in my career when I had to deal with a difficult boss or a cunning peer, I often wondered what wrong I had done to deserve this.

I never realized that this was the greatest lesson of all-How NOT to be as a professional but most importantly a human!

When you witness or experience the impact these negative, toxic actions have on a team or even an entire organization it reiterates the importance of not imbibing these qualities.

The mantra is simple then-Take your authentic self and subtract the negatives. Voila! you have the best version of yourselves ??

5)?????The Junior

In the quest of finding a mentor, it’s important to evolve and eventually be a mentor yourself.

As you add years to your work life, your experiences could benefit another person in the same situation.

People need good advice. Period.

In the process of helping someone, who knows? You may gather valuable insights yourself.

Its astonishing to witness your own ever evolving and never ending journey as you encounter various kinds of people. Each of them shapes you in their own unique ways into the person you eventually turn out to be. And the end result may surprise you too. You are certainly not the person you planned for but definitely someone you will be immensely proud of !