“You are not taking any initiative.” - The boss told the employee in an appraisal meeting and denied his promotion.
“You never listen to me!” – The wife told her husband after 5 years of togetherness and left him.
“Learn to be a team player; you have to change your attitude towards the team.” – A professor told the student who was struggling to complete a group project.
“A 10th Standard student committed suicide after failing in board exams” – A small piece of news in newspaper after the results came out.
All the people involved in the above instances have been great academic performers and have never failed anywhere. They are clueless about the factor they are missing to succeed now or to stand steadily where they are. Even if they went to their academic coursework to find answers, they will not find the answers there.
Why are some people more productive in same 24 hrs than others? Why are some people respected more in society than others? How some people manage to flourish in their relationships while others wither? There are many people managing their lives really well under immense stress while others break down even with lesser struggles.
While Jack Ma persevered after 50 job rejections, one student committed suicide after scoring less in exams. While Arunima Sinha managed to climb Himalayas without a leg, an employee having desk job asked for a week’s leave to rest after stitches in her foot. While Gandhiji had courage to stand for truth and nonviolence at the risk of his life, we choose to take support of lies for petty things. The examples are endless!
A very wise person once said that the real education is outside the classroom. Our education system failed to include courses about how to work in a team, how to manage a difficult communication, how to digest failures, how to empathise, or just the art of listening. These missing chapters of coursework create a gap between academic and real life, which requires some bridge.
There sure are some skills missing in our characters that are essential for success and better quality of life! It’s time to think about them.
Author: Viraj Vora, Master Trainer