My grandson, Theo, turns one year old on Thursday. As I look back at his first year, I look at all that has happened and changed over the past year for all of us.
A lot.
It’s been a strange and turbulent year, and it’s not over yet. I know that I have much more to learn, more mistakes to make, and a lot more growing before I learn everything this pandemic has to teach me.
I’ve decided to list just three of the most important lessons I’ve learned at work in the past year of Theo’s life. I hope your learning has come easily, and the past year hasn’t been a year of consistent failures in learning.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”sPy8S” via=”yes” ]Has this year of learning come easily or has it been a year of consistent failures in learning?[/ctt]
1. Relationships are far more important than we ever realized. I’ll bet that when you initially were sent to work from home, you never dreamed you’d miss virtually all of your coworkers (even the ones that annoy you).
I have always known that I was an extroverted person. I get energy from other people (which explains why I love speaking to groups of people). The last year has taught me that I need regular conversations, interaction, and connection with people. I have managed to find that through my online sessions.
I haven’t been able to see Theo nearly as much as I want to. When I knew I had a grandson on the way, I made a lot of plans to spend at least one weekend per month with them. I wanted to be a major fixture in his life. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have allowed me to have him in my arms only four times (you can be sure I hugged him long and hard when I could). But I see him every single day (the magic of mobile phones), and he recognizes me when he sees me (or he knows to smile for the phone/camera).
I feel that I have made a point to get on phone calls, video calls, social media, and anything possible to connect with my colleagues, clients, friends, and family. While it isn’t as good as seeing any of them in person, it is better than not at all, and it is working. I’ve worked with many clients this past year where I feel the connection has been very good!
I wouldn’t have guessed that a year ago. I’m glad I know that I can work virtually and still create relationships. Are you working on making your relationships work? What have you learned about working relationships?
Have you gone out of your way to preserve your personal and work relationships? Do you reach out to your coworkers just to say hello? Do you show up during team meetings (camera on, ready to engage, and genuinely listen to what each other is saying?).
2. Patience and compassion. Everyone processes information at different rates and different understandings. Others may not agree with how you feel about certain subjects, but you have to be patient with them and with you.
I can almost guarantee that you work with others who have a very different perspective about the company, the government, the precautions we are taking, and the vaccine. It isn’t your job to convince them they are wrong or that you are right. Understand that everyone is at a different place and although it causes us all stress, have compassion and patience for where they are and their beliefs.
You may be working with people who have kids at home and are struggling to keep up with their work while educating them at the same time. They may consistently miss deadlines, complain a lot, and yet, earn the same amount of money (or more) than you do.
Maybe you have a colleague who is intent on telling you everything the government is doing wrong or they interpret the restrictions or science differently. They may have very different beliefs than you do. I’ve learned to have patience and compassion because we never know what is behind their experiences. It isn’t my job to convince everyone they are wrong, and I am right.
My mom is 75 and lives alone. She is allowed to visit us (and we are allowed to visit her). By visiting with us, she is not breaking any rules, laws, or guidelines, but she won’t do it. She is so afraid of accidentally infecting me and impacting my work that she just won’t. I have to have compassion for her fears. I have to have patience until she feels safe to visit us.
I want and need to see my mom, but I have to have compassion and patience for her. I’ve learned this over the past year, and making her feel guilty or railroading her with my facts is not helpful. Everyone is experiencing this stress from this year differently. Give them space without pressure.
Have you learned to have compassion and patience with your coworkers? Have you learned to bite your tongue when they have a different belief or practice than you do?
[ctt template=”3″ link=”f9UP4″ via=”yes” ]Have you learned to bite your tongue when others have a different belief or practice than you do?[/ctt]
3. Balance is best. I have shared in the past how that I am a willing work-a-holic as I love what I do and am happy to work away all day and evening.
I’ve stopped that. I have created good boundaries and routines that are keeping me healthy. I work five days a week and rarely respond to emails on the weekend. When I walk out of the office at the end of the day, I don’t put my laptop on my lap while watching TV (unless I’m shopping online or playing on social media).
I’ve got a regular bedtime (not flying around to multiple time zones in a week has been very healthy for me), and I wake up in the morning ready to go again.
I still love what I do, but I’ve created a lot of enjoyment outside of the office too. We’ve finished our renovations, bought a boat to enjoy living on the river, and while we can’t see our friends at the moment, as soon as we can, we plan to have a safe, yet friend-filled, summer.
When I was too work-focused, my personal life and health suffered. I’ve realized that balance is far more important than I realized, and it has become a top priority for me. While I long for in-person workshops, training, and conferences, I know that when I come home for the weekends, I plan to be home for the weekends and not focused on the next week of work instead.
Do you have good balance? Are you able to separate your work and personal life better than you did a year ago?
The first year of a child’s life is the biggest learning year they have. They learn everything, and I’m amazed watching Theo grow so quickly. While we didn’t have to relearn everything this past year, we all needed to learn a few very important lessons.
What did you learn this year?
