Guest Blog: Phill Went, International Delivery Manager, NashTech - Heart and Soul
I lead NashTech’s Global Delivery Team, which oversees customer engagements. When signing up to contribute to Bev’s weekly blog, I assumed I would write a post explaining ‘why NashTech’. However, over the weekend, events took a different turn.
I was wrapping up Friday afternoon by clearing out my inbox, when I received the ‘ping’ of a NashTech Yammer notification that was sharing news of a client visit in progress. I ignored it and planned to check it out on Monday. But before shutting down my PC, interest got the better of me. I decided to look at the post – a video - and it turned out to be a surprising and uplifting way to end my week (you can see a link to this video later on in this article).
I was thinking about Bev’s blog during my Saturday bike ride, but my thoughts kept returning to the post I had seen the day before. It occurred to me that my usual mode was to focus on the tasks at hand and avoid distractions. Yet taking those few minutes out of my time added some happiness and inspiration to my day. It was a nice way to end the week that could have easily passed me by. Maybe I should take more time out so I can be more receptive and appreciative of beautiful moments!
As I was thinking about this, a hot air balloon appeared in the valley. After an initial hesitation, I pulled over for a photo. Even though the balloon was a distant dot, I stopped to enjoy the view instead of overlooking the moment.
As I set off again, I found myself tracking the balloon in hope of a better photo. It appeared to be going to plan, until I reached the next village. The balloon was lost in the sunlight and concentrating on the road took over. But then, as I passed by the church, it appeared again above the spire, providing the perfect photo opportunity.
Honestly, I’m not prone to taking photos and prefer to focus on the current task, so this was all a little out of character. Some of the key steps for promoting creativity include taking time out from daily chores and changing your environment. Perhaps we can apply these principles to acknowledging the special moments. You need to make time and be in the right state of mind to recognise and appreciate the small things that you would otherwise miss.
So, what was so special about this Yammer post that it was able to transform my Friday afternoon? It was a video, which I almost skipped. I could have moved on quickly to the weekend and missed out on a happy experience. On this occasion I chose to change my usual routine.
Playing music together is common activity in our Vietnam Centres and the Hanoi team were recently joined by Liz Owoade from TBA. The video captured a moment which Liz has kindly given us permission to share.
I should acknowledge our colleagues in Vietnam are especially good at arranging team events and social activities. They take time to celebrate special events with employees, like recognising a child’s first day at school or inviting the parents of new joiners to visit the office.
This week I encourage you to make time to appreciate a beautiful moment that might otherwise pass you by.
Phill