So much advice floating around. Webinar’s. Articles. Tweet chats. Zoom panels. Videos. Do’s and Don’ts galore. WhatsApp groups abuzz with fake news, silly jokes, ideas and helpful tips.
In the midst of all that, one group quickly degenerated into an online brawl with anger and fury spewing. Sides were taken and a street fight of epic magnitude unfolded. Peace keepers and fire fighters rushed in to douse the flames. My BP soared. Should I enter the fray or should I exit the group or should I remain a passive spectator?
So many decisions to make when it comes to this new virtual reality that is thrust upon many of us. Luckily these are the teeny tiny problems I am dealing with. They pale into insignificance, when I see the hardship and pain that so many are already enduring.
Apart from this one group that got my heart racing, many other sources of information got my mind got racing. I learnt a lot.
Three things have stayed with me.
-
- My psychological safety is as important as my physical safety.
- I have been given some gift/s (strengths). Now is as good a time as any to find a way to share those gifts with the world.
- I should not spend all my time doing Research. I need to also do some Me-Search. Find something that energises me and lean into it.
Working on a mental health campaign for PRCAI with Anup Sharma, Girish Balachandran and his team, helped me learn a lot this week. Refreshing my mind on the subject. Reminding me that now was the time more than ever that our industry needs to find ways to ensure the psychological safety of our teams and the fraternity. So my learning is that finding a way to contribute in any way I can, about something I care about is important.
I also pushed myself to plunge into the world of online teaching. I love spending time in classrooms and the lockdown had taken that small joy away. Last week I took the plunge and have kicked off my first zoom class for the students of SCORE. Thank you Hemant Gaule and Amith Prabhu, for the opportunity. I am happy to report that online role play was a success. Keeping the class of 2020 engaged was tougher than I anticipated. No eye contact. Not physical presence. No group activity. I needed to deviate a bit from the usual classroom model, but it was a fun experience. I learnt something new and so did the class. Truly a win-win experience.
So as I think back on the week that was, my reflection is that I took steps to keep myself psychologically energised. I tapped into gifts and skills that I have and found a way to transfer them online. I worked with my coach to do some Me-search and reflect on how to align my ‘Human Being’ and my ‘Human Doing’. All in all, it was a busy, tiring but productive time, for which I am truly grateful.
Surviving Vs. Thriving. Something shifted last week. My first week of work from home was just focussed on staying safe. Not anymore. I decided not to just shutter down and hide it out. Instead, I have shuttered down and opened up my mind to different ways that I can ride it out. I am back on the horse and galloping ahead. Calling clients, catching up with team members on teams, speaking with friends, sharpening my coaching skills, exercising and spending quality family time together.
Finding ways to reach the world and teach the world from my bedroom instead of the boardroom.
Stay happy. Stay safe. Stay home.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
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
Be the first to comment on "Don’t hide it out. Ride it out."