The Tea-Master's Column

As we grow in our careers, learning the perspectives of stakeholders, colleagues, customers and partners strengthens understanding and defines a pathway towards empathy. Empathy is a catalyst for innovation, action and change. It's an equalizer that tales ego out and allows for the best ideas to win. So, seeking and gaining perspective will help us individually, organizationally or any situation. Perspective is not simple. It involves experiences, assumptions and momentary state of mind. At workplace, all of us come from various backgrounds, cultures, countries, languages and experiences. So, our view of how we see things differs drastically from another colleague. So, if we are not mindful and open our minds to asking the right questions, we may become trapped in our own little perspective and not able to appreciate another thought process or idea. It can lead to conflict and unproductive discussions. Hence, as professionals we would need to learn seeking out perspectives. "P...

Empathy is an emotional skill set that allows one to understand what someone is experiencing and to reflect back that understanding. It is the ability to understand and share the emotions of others by putting oneself in someone else's shoe. Empathy is not connecting to the experience but connecting to the feelings that underpin that experience. In this age of AI, empathy is one skill that will be of great demand and will distinguish one from other. A leader who can better comprehend what the other person might be experiencing, will lead to more compassionate and empathetic response in situations. That will create a more open and meaningful workplace. A common way to practice empathy and get that that level of understanding is a practice called " Just Like Me ". Just like me this person is worrying about something or experiencing a physical or emotional suffering and wishes to to be happy. Just like me, this person wishes to be safe, strong and healthy. So, how does one go...

When the pandemic hit in 2020 and as fear gripped the world, mobility was lost, restrictions were put in place and people suddenly felt imprisioned in their own homes, suddenly something adversely affected them without them knowing about it.  That was the mental health and psychological well-being! I did not quite realize this till I got introduced to the topic of "Mindfulness" at workplace. With everything going around in our external environment and news constantly hitting us on our social media profiles, we start becoming highly distracted and distanced from the present moment. Consider this - you are shopping out but back of your mind you're constantly thinking of something else and then you bump into someone !! That's when you realize that you were not present and attention was on something in the past or future. That when you are not being "mindful". Another example, while you're in a virtual meeting and after the initial conversation, you get a me...

Recently, this has becomes a favorite topic of discussion in Indian news media with some of the leaders touting for 80-100 hr work weeks, calling it a necessary to keep our momentum of growth to becoming a developed nation. Having grown up in that country, work is prioritized over everything else one has. As a young professional, I was made to understand that leaving office before 7pm (when others are still working or boss is still at work) was considered inappropriate. The very next day, I have experienced work being assigned that would make one toil. So, there would always be a guilty feeling and need to apologize multiple times, if one had to leave bit early from office (for some personal work). Working hard and long hours (including weekends) was celebrated, recognized and eulogized. One would be compared to peers and someone who slogged longer would be eligible for promotion (over someone who prioritized other personal activities).  Fast forward in consulting days, I would be ...

I first heard this term "Building Resilience" in Jan of 2023 as part of our organization brand update. However, little did I know the power of these words and how to embody that in real life. I would like to state that failure is a necessary thing that everyone faces but what all of need to learn is how to handle that setback (both emotionally and physically).  "Resilience" is all about  developing the muscles to quickly jump back and take desired actions. A more polished version from dictionary states, "Resilience is the capacity of a person to maintain their core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances. The ability to not only overcome setbacks but to also move forward". Recall a time when your mindset and emotions were worst. What were the feelings and how did your body respond?  - Body just freezes, do not feel like doing anything.   - Feel like sleeping but do not get sleep - Wake up early even though going to bed late ...