Tag: soft skills

Lessons to learn from Lord Ganesha

As Ganesh Chaturthi sets in, we look into the lessons that Lord Ganesh represents.

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As Ganesh Chaturthi sets in, we are reminded about the auspiciousness that surrounds this festival, and the significance Lord Ganesha has in the day-to-day life. Lord Ganesha can also teach some life lessons that can well be applied into the professional space as well.

Listen more, listen well: Lord Ganesha with just his way of being teaches us the value of great listening skills. The elephantine ears represent the ability and keenness to listen to the nuances of what the other person has to say. Good listening skills ensure that we are paying attention, whether we are listening to a client, listening to a colleague in a meeting or listening to a friend. Paying attention, and listening for the sake of listening, and not merely for the sake of responding can lead to the other person feeling truly heard, and in turn lead to a fruitful collaboration.

Obstacles shall be removed: The dukh harta, sukh karta role of lord Ganesha is well-known. We can recall this in our own dealings. Any obstacle or road-block that we encounter in problem-solving or in a project, is an opportunity to work around the very obstacle or road-block. With a trust that any obstacle that we may come across will be removed, we can work on it or around it calmly. As Stoicism teachings often put it: ‘Obstacle is the Way’. The obstacle is the opportunity to work on something in a better way. It is the growth-mindset that we hear about all the time.

Wisdom and abundance: The famous lore about a young Ganesha and Kartikeya showcases the wisdom and a feeling of abundance that our modak-loving lord represents. When asked to make a round of the world by parents Shiva and Parvati, Kartikeya went for a round of the earth. Ganesha simply started to make rounds around his parents, saying that they are his world. This mindset not only represents wisdom, cleverness but also a sense of abundance, and feeling grateful and happy about what you have. No wonder Ganpati is also associated with his jolly nature!

Beginnings are sweet: The sweet modak which lord Ganesha loves, along with him being the God of beginnings is a reminder that beginning something is sweet enough. Rather than feeling daunted about starting a project from the scratch, or opening a new company, or adopting a new way of thinking, one would do well if one remembered that something well begun is a battle half won. Why think of it as a battle even? Why not think of it as being on our way to acquiring the sweet rewards of the modak?  

As Ganesh Chaturthi sets in, team UHR would like to wish everyone abundance of wisdom, sweetness, and success in all their endeavours. Here’s to auspicious beginnings, a wise journey and jolly results!

What’s your favourite Indian Dessert?

Whether we are talking about interviews or networking events or conferences and seminars, the underlying tips can sometimes be just too technical and generic. Let us face it- have we not read something and thought- ‘ugh, again with the jargon…’ ?

Take for example tips about ‘being yourself’ at work. These tips obviously come with an asterisk. Being yourself does not mean not being adaptable to the situation, nor does it mean trying too hard to be yourself. It certainly does not mean getting fixated on one’s strengths and ignoring one’s limitations. Rather, it is about accepting the limitations, and turning them into strengths by understanding the context we are operating in. It’s all written and done, and before we know it, we are scrolling away to glory to find something else to engage our bored minds with.

How about we look at some HR tips on a shelf full of sweets and desserts? A little message we received inspired us to look into the sweets-shop!

We look at the jalebis and we realise that no matter how many twists and turns life might throw at us, the sweet tone of uniqueness we maintain is what matters. The uniqueness is what makes the jalebi a standout, memorable sweet. Who cares if it is a sticky situation, we have our own unique methods to fix it!

We look at the rasgulla, and realise how resilience works. The ‘chasni’ might get squeezed out by life and its trials every once in a while, but there’s always a scope to bounce back into shape!

We see a jar of boondi laddus, and we understand the value of the efforts, big or small, from each member of the team. The big orange magic that a boondi laddu is, will not be complete without the little boondis. No matter how nominal the part one might play in a team, it still adds to the team and it is what makes a team whole.

Soan papdi is an infamous sweet, next in line, that is almost always disliked by so many people. But the makers do not stop making them. Why? Because there will always be takers for it. No matter how small the number, there will always be people who like the soan papdi. Whether it is a product, whether it is a service or whether it is just some generally disliked set of traits that nevertheless get the results, amidst the unpopularity, there will always be a niche that values it more than any other popular trend. The soan papdi gives us an important lesson about authenticity. 

Gulab jamun, the soft little popular sweet on the other hand, gives us an important lesson- softness is not a weakness. In a culture that puts too much value on cold hard facts and an equally hard exterior personality, it is the softness that wins ultimately. The supposed ‘soft’ qualities of empathy, kindness, sensitivity, care, understanding the situation, are what ultimately connect people.

And finally, there’s the besan laddu, that gives us an important lesson about robustness and rebuilding. There’s always a scope to remould, rebuild, redo something while keeping the essence intact.

Do you have a sweet-tooth? What are some of your favourite sweets? What other HR tips can you think about from your favourite dessert?