Learning Lessons

Sowmya asked me last night, who I’ve most enjoyed working with. Thought for a really long time: enough for her to think that I’d forgotten the question. I realised there isn’t any one person who I think of as the best. But I can think of a few lessons I learnt from almost everyone I’ve worked with. Thought it would make a nice post, so here goes. So as to not embarass anyone, I’ll avoid actually naming names - I hope you know who you are.

P taught me that if at first you aren’t passionate about what you do, just fake it till you are.

From N, I learnt that in addition to caring for the company you work for, or the product you create, you also need to care about the customer. But at times when I couldn’t get myself to care, it helped to remember S, who taught me to just take pride in how well you do your work.

N taught me about protecting those who report to you. And about grace under pressure. And that it is possible to “lead” even your peers: all you need to do is step up.

Watching A, an otherwise mild-mannered woman, scold an inept and insincere boss, who went one step too far, smack in the middle of a corridor, was a lesson in standing up for yourself.

P taught me that you can dance with abandon. Even if you are a paraplegic in a wheelchair. And that you needn’t be a victim all your life.

K taught me that it is OK to reinvent the wheel and that it can even be immensely satisfying to try.

I learnt from A that there are times you delegate to the competent and others when you delegate to make a person competent.

P, D and R taught me that stress is often just a choice. And that a laid back boss can still be a good one.

A and N taught me that if you can’t find something to appreciate in a person, you are just not looking hard enough.

K taught me that you can be the kind of person people want to work harder for. P, J and D teach me many lessons about gratitude. And that being the person it is shown to can be hugely satisfying. And humbling.

And I’ve learnt from Sowmya herself that if you allow yourself to see it - everything in life is a lesson you can learn from.

NOTE: I may have wrongly given the impression in the post that I actually imbibed all these lessons - I admit I haven’t.