SOLUTIONS
Krishna C. Kalva
Are you someone who likes traveling? Whether you are a solo traveler or with a group there is always an invisible co-passenger accompanying us.
This column is an extension of my train of thoughts during one of my weekend trips. The goal was to reach a certain destination by 9 a.m. and it was a twohour drive from my home. Being a sunny weekend, it was expected to get busy on the freeway and the general advice was to leave home early or avoid taking the freeway to not get caught up in traffic disruptions.
Following the advice, I started early expecting no disruptions to reach my destintion on time. To my surprise, there was a breakdown on one of the country roads that prompted everyone to take a detour. While the detour allowed me to keep driving, due to the slow-moving traffic I wasn’t sure if I could reach my destination on time.
As I continued to drive at a slower pace, I noticed that there were other passengers sharing the drive with me: anger, frustration, anxiety and shame. Each one of them was trying to take control while I remained in the driver’s seat. Their primary goal was to make themselves more visible and louder in my thoughts. The drive helped me reflect on my journey and acknowledge who I was accompanied by.
Now, imagine traveling to another destination and everything appears to be fine. You leave home on time, traffic is moving at a good pace, the sun is shining and there are no expected delays.
You’ll notice others sharing the drive with you: happiness, calmness, peace, satisfaction and gratitude. With the overall drive smooth, the co-passengers may not want to be more visible or louder in our thoughts in comparison to the previous drive.
While co-passengers exist in both journeys, the drive offers us moments of reflection to identify who we choose and who we offer power over our thought patterns.
Let’s apply the reflection in the context of a daily business situation. Imagine working on a project under tight deadlines, with key deliverables and challenging stakeholders to deal with. Everyone involved in the project is aware of the intensity and the impact.
One of the key success factors is to acknowledge the drivers or co-passengers involved in the project. Through acknowledgment, we give ourselves permission to identify people and factors involved in our journey. Keeping them in proximity and choosing the right tactics, we remain in control and plan our moves to achieve the desired outcomes.
Let me take your attention back to the original idea, our co-passengers. No matter where we go or which direction we take, there is always somebody accompanying us.
Being able to identify who is with us in each moment gives us permission to observe every situation at hand objectively. While the thought and the thinker co-exist, deliberately choosing to separate them creates space that is unique and authentic.
Once we create the desired space, the flowing energy helps us see things as they are without any preconceived notions or labels, helping us truly remain present. We, in every journey we undertake or every experience we indulge in, should try to not push away our co-passengers.
Our co-passengers remain within us, and we have a reason to co-exist: To help us reach a higher level of understanding guided by and filled with perspective.
Krishna C. Kalva is program manager for sales leadership excellence in Germany for Siemens Healthineers. Email him at krishnachaitanya.kalva@siemens-healthineers.com or connect through LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/krishna-chaitanya-kalva-a2773123.
