Article: Let children teach you some workplace skills!

Life @ Work

Let children teach you some workplace skills!

This ‘Children’s Day’, as we celebrate the spirit of innocence, inquisitiveness and creativity, we take you through some qualities an adult can imbibe from kids, especially at the workplace.
Let children teach you some workplace skills!

Famous English poet, William Wordsworth used the expression, "The child is the father of the man" in the famous poem My Heart Leaps Up

This term can be interpreted in many ways, and one such way is what elders can learn from the kids. Not only in our personal lives but one should closely watch the kids and learn a lot from them in the professional lives. Children demonstrate certain characteristics and adults should use them to grow continuously in their career. This ‘Children’s Day’ we are highlighting what an adult can learn from children. So, read on and let the child in you live forever.

Spontaneity

Children are unhindered and spontaneous. They often seem to act first and think second and while that does land them in trouble, their un"adult"erated spontaneity allows them to immerse themselves in all that they do and to live every moment to the fullest. We, as adults, seem to outgrow that spontaneous streak in us as the world demands that we fulfil different roles with age and we feel the need to conform to these set rules. That said, preserving that spontaneous, unhindered inner child in us would help us to tap into our true potential because we would then be able to immerse ourselves in whatever we do without allowing anything to hold us back.

Fearlessness

This characteristic will take you a long way in your career. One has to learn from the kids when it comes to being fearless; they are not afraid of anything come what may. In our professional life, if we become fearless, we can take risks, try new things, share our opinions and grow every day. People who are afraid can never develop and they will complete their entire tenure in a cocoon. It is a learning to see kids around you and learn how they navigate through everyday challenges be it in school, playground or examinations. 

Desire to learn

Despite being miniature human beings, children are incredibly adaptive and are always ready to pick up new skills, behaviors and information. Their readiness to learn is something that adults definitely need to learn from. They learn from whoever is willing to teach them with complete openness and zero judgment. That is an inherent ability within each one of us that we should hold onto and never trick ourselves into believing that we are too old, too intelligent or too busy to learn something.

Honesty

Unfiltered, straightforward and open-minded, children never hold themselves back in expressing their opinions and views about someone. In fact, they are often responsible for revealing the good and the bad lies of adults. Not yet touched by the harsh realities of life, children remain innocent at heart, speaking their minds and sharing their thoughts without any hesitation. This quality is often missing in adults, especially in the corporates where both employees and business leaders are often caught in the hustle of work and life, ending up pleasing each other with false truths and leaving their true thoughts hidden. In the race of life, we often tend to leave the innocent child inside of us behind. We should rather hold onto the child in us and let it motivate us to always stay honest and stand our ground. As someone once said, “No legacy is so rich as honesty.”

Carefree attitude

Kids are carefree and they see the world as if nothing is truly catastrophic and hence, they skip chores unattended at times. The happy-go-lucky attitude means much for kids in terms of handling day to day struggles with self-assurance and continue to be happy. By being carefree, they will not allow anything to cause them to become incensed or irritated, even if an occurrence causes problems. The childish approach applies aptly to the future workforce. In a workplace, being carefree is considered a positive value which has productivity implications. It helps employees feel stress-free which in turn helps them add to their day to day productivity. 

Confidence

Children, unlike adults, will often take a chance at any activity they are engaged in –Whether that’s performing on the stage, answering a tricky question or playing a sport they haven’t played before. It’s a sense of confidence that’s unadulterated by thoughts about what ‘people’ may say or think. As we grow older, we get more self-conscious, selective and fearful. By acting on these fears, we lower both our self-confidence and self-esteem. If we are to navigate the new world of work, that’s going to be rooted in continuous learning, we may need more of the ‘self-confidence’ that kids teach us to have. 

Innovation and creativity 

Children have the advantage of not knowing what is not possible. For them, everything is possible and achievable. On the contrary, adults are well versed with what they cannot achieve and what cannot be done. Children are unarguably more innovative and creative than the adults. The statement can be supported by the fact because adults are surrounded by rules, regulations, laws, and compliance.  They have experienced rejections, failures, and humiliations. However, children are brave and creative. They value simple idea, try different approaches and do not shy away from executing their thoughts.

Adults are inhibited by obstacles in their thinking based on previous failures and experiences. Taking a lesson out of the children's playbook, adults can adopt some of the spirits of creativity and innovation to help themselves and their organizations to excel.

Inquisitiveness

If there is one thing we must learn and adapt from children right away, it is the quality of inquisitiveness. Children are inherently curious about everything, exploring their surroundings, wanting to know the answers to questions they can’t even fathom, and figure out stuff they are still not old enough to understand. In today’s ever-changing work scenarios, inquisitiveness is something which every employee needs to imbibe in order to keep learning about the new technologies and changes coming their way and stay relevant. If one is not inquisitive, she/he runs the risk of being side-lined and becoming outdated in this dynamically changing world.

Energy

Children are a powerhouse of energy. In your office, you might find that the ones who are the most enthusiastic about work, get the most work done. Children are able to run around, participate in activities both in school and extracurricular! As adults, it is easy to develop a one-track mind. However, say hello to the ever ready and energy-filled child inside you and perform beyond expectations in your workplace. 

So this Children’s Day, let’s imbibe the best qualities of the young ones at work and let’s promise ourselves to never let the child in us die!

 

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Topics: Life @ Work, #Editor'sDesk

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