Leadership — Unlearning, Learning and Doing
#flip2flourish just doesn’t mean starting over and diving into a new venture. It’s SO MUCH more than that. It’s about starting ANEW but also rebuilding the current foundation. It’s about asking the right questions, getting out of bed to the right wake up calls, and being brave enough not just to learn but also to unlearn.
We flipped our travel studio to a digital studio. But that’s not all that changed for us. Along with transforming the company, we worked on transforming the workspace. We are working on creating a work culture that CARES, LISTENS and VALUES.
Sadly, we’ve built a society that divides us into winners and losers. If a football team plays very well to reach the semi-finals and then they lose the match, they’re deemed losers. No one takes a second to talk about the great season or how far they’ve made it. Society has trained our minds to fit people and circumstances into just two categories! And so often we forget the most important category of all — the JOURNEY.
So, while we’re flipping, we need to flip these beliefs too. There’s not just black and white. There are a thousand different colours in between and they’re all beautiful. We need to recreate a society that’s united by purpose rather than being divided by issues. And this starts with UNLEARNING.
Unlearn the fact that success is only measured by a company’s product. People are the products. Happy people breed happy workspaces.
Unlearn the fact that employees are just engineers, managers, accountants or someone just playing a role in the company. They’re someone’s most valued blessing. People are people.
Unlearn the fact that to be a good leader means to command respect. A good leader is equivalent to a good parent and parents CARE.
Caring is contagious. This is even more so when everyone’s working at home. What happens at work is what people take home. If a person doesn’t feel valued, if her time at work is bringing her down — she’s going to parcel it and take it back home as well. And then comes the second stage — LEARNING.
Learn to LISTEN. We’re taught to debate, be great orators and sell that market pitch but never to listen.
Learn to VALUE people. They need to feel empowered. Not used as tools to help someone else achieve success.
Learn to redefine what success means. It’s more than just the numbers. It’s about the quality of people and the laughs.
Learn that what happens at the workspace goes beyond it. It affects people’s lives and the chain continues.
And most importantly, learn that it’s NEVER TOO LATE to start doing better. By the people and the company. And soon, we can realize that it’s one and the same.
Now comes the challenge. In a world that’s trained to love the Fridays and hate the Mondays, as leaders we need to FLIP this concept. We need to have people motivated and encouraged enough to say ‘Thank Goodness It’s Monday.’ And this is the part where we make work FUN.
Take a break from work. Organize those ‘fun’ game sessions. Play those improv games. Laugh, party it up and keep it chill. Create an inclusive community that’s more than just a workspace. Create a work family.
Everyday we’re learning and unlearning. And every day we #flip2flourish. It isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a HABIT. It’s a MINDSET. We’re humans first, leaders next.
Create an ecosystem of trust and safety. Plant the seeds of value and virtue. The leaves will be the lush green, organic, thriving work culture you’ve created. The fruits will be people who are happy, passionate, and driven. — the only product that matters.
