Reflections on 2021

Reflection 1: Taking pride in your contributions to a larger goal?

Earlier this year my grandmother passed away at the age of 96. One of my most cherished memories is accompanying her on a visit to Bletchley Park where, during the war, she worked as part of the team that helped to crack the enigma code.

(my grandmother around the time she was working at Bletchley Park)?

It was wonderful to see the reception that was given to her by the staff and visitors simply in recognition of the role she played but, even more than this, to see her own pride in being a small part of something so important and so much bigger than herself. I think it was one reason why she was such a contented person all through her life.?

I was reminded again of this memory when reading Oliver Burkeman’s fantastic book ‘Four Thousand Weeks’. Something that resonated with me, among his many insights within the book, is when he talked about the satisfaction that derives from contributing to a goal bigger than ourselves - even if we don’t always see the results:

Indonesia suffered from a particularly challenging ‘Delta Wave’ in the summer but the way our colleagues and team responded to this challenge reminded me of this story about the medieval stonemason. It was inspiring to see how everyone saw themselves as a small part of a larger goal, covering for colleagues when sick, looking for ways to volunteer and ‘go the extra mile’ to support each other and ensure we could continue to provide our service to customers and the community.?

Reflection 2: The value of empathetic leadership in building resilience?

I will admit there is no fascinating or unique insight here, nothing that has not been mentioned many times by people far more articulate than I. Personally though, despite having read about this many times, the importance only really sunk-in when I was facing my own challenges and realised how valuable it is to have empathetic leaders, colleagues and a wider support network.?

The challenges I faced were mild compared to those faced by so many people over the last 12 months but, for over three months, my family were unable to join me in Indonesia due to border restrictions. During this time we were going through a COVID wave, in a hard lockdown, with significant pressure at work and I was missing key milestones in my children’s life - most notably my daughters first birthday.?

During this period my line manager was frequently, ‘checking-in’, my colleagues in Indonesia were sending thoughtful small gifts to my house and my friends and family took time to call frequently - all of which helped ensure I was able to be resilient throughout. Perhaps most notably our Group COO took 30 minutes from his day to call me (and many other colleagues in similar positions across Asia Pacific and the wider group) to listen to how things were on the ground and share his support and appreciation.?

As I continue on my own leadership journey I will try and remember the positive impact these relatively small gestures had on me and to replicate for people in my team - taking the time to understand if colleagues are facing challenging circumstances, listening to them, supporting where possible and sharing my appreciation for their contributions.?

Wishing you all the best for 2022.?

James