The Battle of Mind

Naisha has started to ask about me. Poor little girl, so far it was all game and fun for her, no school, travelling and new places, new sights, new dresses and new toys...and now the reality has begun to set in for her little mind that Papa is missing. Usually I am away from home on training trip for a few days or a week, but now she’s beginning to feel my absence. This is longer than usual, and something is different!

Shami explained to her why I am here and they are there – the reasons for why we are away and not together; she had a ‘Hmmm...’ as a response - the language of an enslaved heart when the reasons of mind overpowers the desires of the heart - a 'hmmm' contemplating on the reasons and making sense out of it, and a silence that followed. What must have been the language of her silence! How those thoughts of such silent moments must be effecting her view of life around her; how that view must be moulding her character; how it must be strengthening that little mind, or causing cracks from the unspoken anxiety of the absence of her beloved Papa!

Every time we sleep, she would simply want my hand for her to hold; that’s all what she wanted. How many times she would come and cuddle my face, saying “I love you papa.” How many times she would walk to me, for no reasons, with her arms stretched, and to simply give me a hug and say “I love you Papa.” I know I have responded to all her loving gestures all the time, but when I think of all those moments now, I feel I could have said a word or more, I feel I could have hugged her a moment more, I feel I could have sat with her and fed her with less irritation, perhaps listened to her childish gibberish for a few seconds more…

In that silent ‘hmm…’ contains the nourishment of growth, I believe. In that silence, and the contemplation that of the meaning of words defining the rationale behind our need to stay away, what would have been her thoughts? How would she reflect on it, a few years later? What am I making of her, as a person, by putting her through this patch of life and asking her to endure the truth and its emotions, for no reasons of her!

She carries the weight of her thoughts; and perhaps that’s how her shoulders will become stronger to carry the weight of life gracefully.

In fact what would she want in life? The potential wealth and security that I suppose I am building for her by being away, or the instant joy and the warmth of love and care that she enjoyed while I am with her? What would she have wanted, if she had a way to ask me?

The logic of wellbeing demands that they need for them the security in life by having ‘enough’ to support them. The pulse of heart attempts to scream loudly obliterating the logic of mind, saying it is in love and being together that the life will flourish!

It’s a battle between the pulse of heart and the logic of mind!


Shahir

Word That Powered

It isn’t unusual for the staff to cut corners when their managers are not around, especially when it is in the night shift or those in the early morning shifts where the top management is yet to come.

I decided this morning to do a random inspection by undertaking a house-tour during early morning hours when in normal case no one will expect me around. Among the few areas and standards I was doing a random check, I engaged with one of our associates.

And that’s what I want to share with you. The power of word that powered Uhood!

I engaged her - Uhood - over the phone, disguised as a customer, and she was spot on in meeting all the standards that we would love to see our associates delivering in that position. Eventually, as in the rules of providing feedback – reinforcing a behavior, or coaching – I revealed to her who I am, and why I was calling, and what did I feel about her performance, and congratulated her for ‘delivering our promises’ genuinely sounding in my voice the feeling of delight and consciously choosing enabling and reinforcing words that would strengthen her commitment to sustain that good act of performance.

It all took perhaps less than a minute and half.

But later today I realized how powered and encouraged she had become, from the feedback I got through a few other associates who experienced the radiation of her joy and excitement of receiving an appreciation for something she did right.

What she did was in fact a duty she is bound to perform. However, what made her feel delightful was the fact that her performance was noticed, it was appreciated, and it was recognized. Nida, my Training Coordinator later told me in the evening that she was giving ‘flying kiss’ to her female colleagues as she went home after her shift – an act so unusual of her!

What is the simple lesson? It’s simple as this. Associates are hungry for recognition. They are starving for someone to say a kind word for the right thing they do. And if we really look at it, even those in the senior positions are craving for that little word to come from those who they report to, and it does make a big difference.

Why we don’t do this then? The reason is simple too. We SEE many things but we fail to NOTICE. We see things because we are around by virtue of our positions. However we fail to notice because we are less awake and less conscious. Moreover, we wait for a ‘big’ thing to happen so that we can recognize and celebrate; we wait for a monument of ‘great service’ to be delivered, not realizing the fact that the monument we are waiting to see as built are built with these little bricks of basic things done right.
We can’t look for associates putting off fire every day; we can’t look for associates who performed resuscitation and recovered an injured guest every day. What we can is to ‘catch them do things right’ even if that means it’s their duty to do things right, let alone go extra mile.

Those that are done right, no matter how small they are in size, when recognized and appreciated genuinely, it powers the person to move mountains.

Today, Uhood radiated positive energy, cheerfulness, and warmth to those around her, because of the word that powered her; I am sure that energy would have permeated to those at her home too. Should I say how conscious she will be to deliver more tomorrow as she will come to work, wanting to do more good things. Should I say how she – and many others like her who must be craving for recognition and appreciations, not necessarily ‘rewards – would be transformed as a brand ambassador should such acts be delivered on them by the leaders in a consistent manner?

I am delighted I could make a difference in a day of my associate’s performance. And I wish I will have more opportunities to make others feel delighted, empowered and enabled to deliver greater results.

The Word That Powered, made a difference to her, and to me.

Shahir

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