Leadership Blog #3: A Happy Place - the dynamics of a workplace!!

A few years ago, when I was doing my Hypnotherapy training in the affluent surroundings of Edgware Road in London; our trainer introduced us to this amazing induction technique in hypnotherapy called ‘The Happy/favourite place’

 As part of the training, we were supposed to induce each other into a trance. I vividly recall that when I was induced in front of my other colleagues, I was transported to my favourite/happy place, a place called ‘Shangla’ in the most beautiful surroundings of Swat, a district of North West of Pakistan, once called the ‘Switzerland of Asia.’

 Colleagues told me that I was so deeply in the trance, that it took me minutes to be brought back; which is unusual, when they asked me, what happened, I replied, ‘I was in my Happy Place.’ I did not want to come back from there!!!

 Happiness as someone rightly defined is not a destination, it’s a journey. It gives us the energy and motivation to fight the adversities that we encounter in our journeys of life.

 When I recall the happy moments, ‘my happy moments’, it transports me back to certain memories of my childhood, walks with my grandfather, trips to our family home, celebrations after Ramadan and so forth.

 How very so often, we wish to be transported back to that epoch, to be able to experience those feelings of mirth and gay, even thinking about it makes us feel happy and refreshed, is it that the happy place exists in our mind? Interesting …

 Today, driving from London to my workplace in Basingstoke, only my third day at work and already finding it difficult to motivate self for an hour and a quarter long journey. I was thinking of the amazing last year I had, working in the vicinities of South Manchester. I enjoyed my job and the amazing company; the whole year, I looked forward to going to the workplace every single day, nothing less than a miracle.

 The last time I was so happy and relaxed at work was in Lincoln in 2005, when I started my first SHO rotation. I was high on my energy.

 I remember our clinical tutor watching the famous Ashes series with us in the junior doctor’s room, we used to work, gossip and had a television set in our doctors’ room. However, that was short-lived, and the excitement died down after an initial honeymoon period.

 So, what was different this time, yes, I knew a few colleagues beforehand but then I had known colleagues in my previous jobs as well, and it did not make a difference.

 Let me create a sketch of our workplace in South Manchester, it is a Higher Trainee room, a big white room with 4 work tables, a small white board, some unused computer accessories scattered around and 4 amazing Higher trainees.

 When I started working in South Manchester, Initially I spent, some of my time chatting to them, having a cup of tea occasionally, going together for lunch. I gradually started to spend some more time there to the extent that I was found more in the HT room than in my office. My secretary and team would know exactly where I would be. This transition was mind-boggling.

 When I was in that room, there was no hierarchy, we were all colleagues, we vented ourselves, discussed complex cases, talked about our experiences, reflections, adaptations, systems and procedures & new ideas and innovations.

 People started to comment as they pass by that it appeared to be an exciting place and one day, we named it,’ the Happy Place.’ It became a regular theme that we would meet up at lunch there. 

The whole environment provided us aspects of Balint Group, Peer group, supervision, leadership and innovation, something that we had not experienced before in a single setting.

 If we were to write all the ideas on the walls that we discussed, all the wall in the rooms would have been tainted black and red. As a result, many of us found direction at such an early juncture of our careers because of those discussions. We tested ideas that we discussed, and some are putting it into shape. So, we just did not talk the talk, we are now walking the walk.

 The whole environment was energising, motivating, bustling with energy, innovative and without a box. It was not just people coming together, it was like-minded people, who value each other with similar ideas and careers brought together by chance, however, made the best out of it.

 We also introduced the concept of Foody Fridays, one of us would cook at home and bring food for the rest on a Friday and we would invite others as well. So the concept of Happy Place not only fulfilled the academic and intellectual nourishment but also covered the social aspects of life. We came to know about each other’s cultures, food, personal attributes etc.

 It was a realisation that it wasn't the place that was happy, it was the people that came together made it a happy place. We had one motive-learning, which brought us all together and once it started, it extrapolated into a whirlwind creating energy that satisfied so many aspects of Self.

 Now that we all have left the place, all at the same time; it saddens us, however, we are contented that we are leaving behind positive energy, a room that was once full of ideas and innovation, a place that bustled with energy, an energy that itself was euphoric and contagious. The room now awaits it to be rejuvenated again with fresh ideas and innovations. We are now passing the baton onto the next crop of trainees and consultants who we hope will reflect on these experiences and carry on the legacy of ‘The Happy Place ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wk-wksx39I&t=680s)’

 (Thank you Hina, Faheem, Sharon & Ngozi)