On one of our daily check-in calls, a colleague asked each of us to share something the rest likely didn’t know about them.
The answers were fascinating.
- One colleague is working in his spare time on a skateboard documentary.
- One colleague loves to sing – and often sings to himself while walking.
- Another colleague is a former Nashville backup singer (hey, we could start a band!)
- Another is a former department store model.
But some of the answers showed toughness and the ability to survive.
- One of our veterans survived multiple IED explosions.
- Another colleague experienced homelessness briefly when she lost a job.
- Another chose to reinvent himself after a prior career wore him down with long hours and too much travel.
The query was a great idea – and we all learned more about each other. We did this on a Friday call – and be advised, it did take a few minutes to hear from everyone on the call.
But it gave all of us great insights into our co-workers. That’s especially important right now when the coronavirus has upended everything and sharply curtailed our social interactions.
We all would do well to remember the voice on the phone – or the image in the video conference – has some experiences likely helpful to the rest of us.
We are grateful for the insight!