Things I'm learning from the workplace

I absolutely love being a pupil of knowledge- in the shona language there goes a saying, “Kudzidza Hakuperi” (Learning never ends!). That being said, I have always been of the notion that one must not only learn to pass- but also know to live then have wisdom to love. For God is love and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 

Education is knowing, getting good grades and all, knowledge is knowing how to apply and explain, wisdom is all that but also expressing Gods love in it. Life has so many lessons that one must not take for granted and once one gets this insight- it can be the start of a great insightful journey. I personally do not think that mankind exists only to live- animals live but don’t have emotion. I do not think we exist only to reproduce- all creation can do that but they do not carry this consciousness we all have. Life is so much more and if we look well enough, we will all be amazed by it all.

I’m very blessed to be working were I am, I believe I am there for a higher purpose. I’m constantly reminded of that and each day is so filled with many lessons and wonderful things. So I decided to share with you some of the most powerful principles I have seen and got to apply in as many aspects of my life as I can from being where I am. Hopefully, they will help you too.

 Knowing is half the battle

Ever had those problems you can’t solve? A challenge that won’t seem to go away? From my experience- I have seen that problem solving starts from understanding the situation at ground first, not to just listen. At Belina, I get to see so many problems, issues and queries. So as a consultant- I get to face such a vast array of scenarios. And the first thing that a consultant does is listen. When you listen you get to see. That’s the funny coincidence of the senses right? But I have learnt the value in understanding before you try to solve. So to all those that thought math was useless, here’s a rain check on that. You still need those skills! The successful know this, the great companies do this, before you try solve a problem through your business- make sure you get down to the nitty gritty of the problem before you attempt to solve it. I have learnt that the best consultants we have at work have strengthened this skill of understanding. That is the whole essence of the educational system. Training you how to understand things.

Emotional Intelligence

Sometimes a client is very upset and sometimes you represent the source of all the clients’ problems. You have to be able to not be easily affected and make sure you are the thermostat in the situation. Otherwise you will turn an angry client into a bitter one. Letting a client leave the workplace bitter is like dropping a small matches in a field of dry grass. Emotional intelligence is a very vital part of the human interpersonal skills and the beauty of this skill is that it can get you places, and going places is good. Then there are those days you spend repeating the same thing, even repeating the same phrase over and over again. No-matter how many times you have done it, the client always has to feel that they are being heard and not talking to a repetitive human robot. I will post a Goleman model I got from this site.

Don’t always apply a patch when you can permanently fix the problem

Some time ago, I came up with an idea that, at the time, seemed like the perfect solution to quicken up a certain procedure at work. So I worked all night creating a prototype and was so excited to show everyone this fix and get that great feeling of implementing something that you saw first in your mind. So to cut the story short, my project was turned down but then the CEO told me something that I will never forget, “Why make a fix when you can solve the problem entirely?.”

It was at that exact moment I learnt this important concept. Being a programmer you develop a problem-solving mentality. It is very easy to start looking at one part of the problem singularly and not get the whole picture. But great people know this skill, fixes are only temporary. There is a very thin line between a fix and a solution. So always make sure you never mix the two!

 Leadership, leadership, leadership!

I am constantly humbled by my superiors. I’m talking McGregor’s theory Y here. Leadership involves a certain degree of selflessness. Reminds me of a quote I heard recently, “When the best leaders’ work is done, the people say we did it ourselves” Great leaders are not those who command fear, but those who command respect. We are all born to be leaders and the first person you lead is the person you see in the mirror. How can you expect to change someone or the world when you cannot change yourself? Leadership is being the best in your area of expertise.

Of course there is so much more that I get to learn. May you be inspired !