Sitting on the sidelines is good to observe and learn sometimes. Watching from the balcony seats, also offers a different perspective, and it’s a privilege to get to enjoy that view from time to time. However, real learning gets deeply integrated only in the doing. I was reminded of this in more ways than one in the weeks gone by.
Finding a comfortable cab. Let me start with my effort to find the best cab in Amritsar. Since I was traveling with my parents, I wanted to ensure that we had a good trustworthy driver and a nice clean cab at our disposal. With a little help and reference checks a trustworthy cab service was identified and booked. On the ground, in the lovely new Innova Crysta, with cold water bottles and pristine white seats, I discovered that getting in and out of the last row was not a fun exercise. The solution? We needed an Innova with a sofa seat in the second row (rather than the bucket seats).
The particular cab company I had tied up with had a new fleet and all the new vehicles came only with bucket seats. A trip to the travel desk of the hotel I was staying with, making friends with (let’s call him) Sandy, and a request for him to use his good connection to get us a “Sofa wala Innova” proved fruitful and the rest of the trip was comfortable. I needed to roll my sleeves up, get a first-hand experience and with the help of a friendly conversation find a solution. The minute I was clear on what I wanted and that I needed to get it, the answers emerged.
On the work front, there was an important meeting that we were preparing for. There were many people involved and many ideas on how to approach the assignment. Once again, I noticed a similar pattern emerge, watching emails flow up and down, looking at different approaches that were emerging, there was a time for that, but as the deadline loomed large, it came down to one person taking charge and leading the effort from the front. In doing that a few pieces became clear and came together consuming all the pre-work and analytics, reading, listening, internalising, and interpreting the findings of so many smart brains that worked on different pieces ultimately needed to be done by rolling up sleeves and getting one’s arms around it all. It took that person to commit to leading the project, and his own and others’ courage followed.
A colleague from another office had asked if I could join an in-person meeting (as they were remote and not able to travel) to explore an interesting assignment. I committed to show up. Once I had done that, I then needed to read up on the subject, research the people I was going to meet, and prepare for the engagement. I felt so energised and excited after spending an hour exploring a new topic and learning about some amazing work that was being done. My ability to possibly contribute to this endeavour is one that I look forward to. From, “I am not sure if I am needed”, to “I want to be a part of this”, was a journey that began with the simple act of committing my time for a meeting, everything else followed.
It does not matter if it’s in the personal arena or the professional, if the task is big or small, it begins by committing. Saying “I will own this…” or “I am going to do this…” or “I am going to fix this…”. Mental commitment to the task sets in motion a chain of actions within oneself and others. From there the confidence and courage will follow and flow. Are you sitting on the sidelines for too long waiting for an invitation to to jump in? Maybe now is the time to commit… What are you committing to today, this week, this month, this year? Commit and the courage will follow.
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A trusted coaching and communications professional, Nikhil Dey is a certified life and leadership coach (International Coach Federation - ICF). Nurturing talent and helping clients achieve their goals is what makes him happy. He loves learning from students of communication, teaching courses and guest lecturing at various educational institutions. When he is not working you will find him on the tennis court or out for long walks with his family and four legged friends.
Previously he has held senior leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Genesis BCW.
He can be reached on twitter @deydreaming
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