All this slogging was for no ‘extra’ money but was to create a good impression. She indeed made a good impression, but, in the process, did she realize she was being exploited by her colleagues and her boss? No. By then she was branded as a very nice, compliant, adaptable person, all of which she was. Unknowingly that became her self-fulfilling prophecy. What accompanied was a similar situation at home. Her husband knew how to get things done from her, how to exploit her finances when he was laid off, and finally exploit her love for her family. This was when she started to do some introspection.
Do all these past experiences mean that she could never be herself? No. She spent her free time pondering her next step to progress in life. It was during this time of her career that she came across multiple situations that only she could handle and troubleshoot. As a result, she realized her worth and acknowledged that her biggest strength was handling difficult situations. She came to be known as someone who can take care of challenging customers, staff, and vendors and was frequently consulted to handle them during tough situations.
Sunitha believes that no knowledge is worthwhile if it is not shared among others. She started creating more people who can perform like her and she eventually developed a passion for training others; she started conducting more formal training sessions and ensured that those who attended the programs carried with them some strong, motivating and thought-provoking messages that would be of help in their career. With time she recognized that trainers must keep themselves updated with the latest aspects happening around them. She continued to get herself trained to deliver better presentations so that she could convey her messages more effectively to her audience. This not only facilitated her in bringing about better speeches but also improved her self-confidence.
Sunitha felt that this achievement was not enough and wanted more. She understood that making money, creating a brand for herself, and slogging full time was not what she wanted. That was not her. Spending time sparingly with family had always been a lacuna in her life and that suddenly became her top priority. She cared less about creating an impression and spent more and more quality time with family. Her life started transforming into a beautiful experience. There were more vacations than ever before; and more dinners and movies. To her surprise, her sense of responsibility remained unchanged and her performance at work was unaffected and she continued to function well. She understood the importance of providing work-life balance among her team. They started filling in for each other magically during times of need. This, in turn, resulted in better outcomes. Management was very happy to note the progress of her entire department and acknowledged her sincere efforts.
Lessons learned from Sunitha’s story
- Never try to impress anyone with the price of compromising your own happiness
- Be nice and accommodative but never let people exploit you for what you are
- Understand your strengths and make use them to the maximum
- Never give up your passion; work hard to pursuing it further
- Keep yourself updated to sustain in your field of work
- Time with family is more valuable than money earned
- Being happy in personal life contributes to better productivity at work
One of the many reasons why most of the successful businessmen and senior management professionals sustain and continue to grow in their respective fields is that they understand the importance of work-life balance not only for themselves but also for their team. They value service delivery rather than placing pressure on their team.
To conclude, the message passed here is ‘A happy person is a productive worker’!
