The joy of small things!

It’s the 1st?of February and we are already one month into 2022! One thing which often comes up in my conversation with my colleagues is-Its never the big things which we reminisce, and which affect us the most at our workplace, its mostly the small things.

Penning my thoughts/lessons which I have gathered, experienced and also learnt through the years:

1)?????Ask, don’t assume!

How often it has happened that we assume certain things and act accordingly. We sulk, we gossip, we get hurt when people don’t behave per our expectations and the funny part is its seldom about us!

Moreover, since all of us are working from home, there is a very thin barrier between personal and professional lives. Many a times our personal lives inadvertently tumble into our ‘office’.

This may result in misunderstandings which can aggravate if not nipped in the bud.

All of us are riding high on emotions in these troubled times.

When in doubt about any colleague’s behavior which may seem unusual just ASK!

A simple gesture of ‘hey, what’s up? Hope all is well!’ can go a long way.

Sometimes you might be able to get satisfactory explanations or sometimes just your presence can make the other person’s day.

2)????Bridge the gap!

I was chatting with a friend and one thing she mentioned really hit me hard. Her boss preferred to converse in her own mother tongue and didn’t even realize that my friend wasn’t able to comprehend! This became a regular occurrence to the point when my poor friend didn’t feel included.

I had never realized the impact of this seemingly small act.

It’s extremely important to be mindful of using a common language preferably English when you are a part of a multilingual group. It’s natural to shift to your mother tongue and when it so happens its worth checking with everyone in the team on the choice of language.

In this virtual world it’s very easy to feel excluded and it’s up to us as leaders and colleagues to prevent that from happening.

3)?????What’s in a name? Sometimes a lot!

Pay attention when people talk. Pay attention to what they talk about .

This may be a very simply ask but surprisingly its not so.

A person tends to spend a majority of his conversations talking about things and people close to him.

It’s a great practice to keep a note of this and check on his favorite people (his family, pets),hobbies, activities regularly.

These are good ice breakers but more than that they are wonderful heart warmers ??

4)?????Shun the comparison

Let bygones be bygones

This simple life rules applies directly to work as well.

When in any new organization never compare with your old organization.

The work, the culture, the perks however amazing they might be reside now in the past! Its time to embrace the organization you are in and enjoy the opportunities it offers.

On the other side, it’s of no use speaking ill about your previous organization to your current colleagues. It portrays you as a complainer and its not a great nickname to have for sure ??

Each organization you are in molds you in various ways and propels you ahead onto the next adventure!

5)?????Acknowledge

A very simple but again seldom forgotten rule is to acknowledge a meeting invite. In the virtual world your acceptance or rejection is the one and only cue to the organizer for his further course of action.

A person plans his day around various meetings hence sending your acceptance or rejection ahead of time indicates your respect for his time as well as your own.

At the end of the day, what matters is how someone made you feel and vice versa. Titles are secondary and they change when you move organizations.

The beauty of life is always in these small gestures. Simple acts of mindfulness can make a huge difference.

Its never about the destination its about these beautiful milestones we pass along the way. Its up to us to make the journey and our presence worthwhile.