My Youngest Advocate!

Advocacy Matters _ At home too!

“Don’t worry, you have prepared well and you will rock it! Now Chill, smile and remember to enjoy!

I often hear these words...from one of my advocates...my 9 years old daughter, a class 4 student!

Every time I need greater confidence or assurance, I turn to my family, specially my daughter, my constant and undeterred advocate.

My daughter, my young, rather youngest advocate, would ensure that I move ahead with my morale up and apprehension down. Her unwavering support and constant feedback is what adds fuel to my fire. By now, she is quite familiar (like many other children) with the terminology that I often use at work, the kind of discussions & meetings we have, the fellow colleagues she has keen interest in knowing progress on all that I do (of all that she knows).

Last week when I was in a conversation with my colleague about how this pandemic has extended our work premises & included our families, what stood out was that my daughter not only knows almost everything that she hears, but also is an active contributor & supporter of my work, in many ways. I didn’t realize this so explicitly before this discussion.

Some of my friends don’t prefer talking about work at home as much, which suits them. For me, it is almost a regime. Its important for me to be able to share what I am happy about and what may be bothering me, I feel a whole being included as a person with my professional self at home.

Not sure how it started, but we have been discussing and sharing all that happens in our respective work areas. With this kind of continued conversation, we keep one another apprised and engaged to share a common ground – as if we are team at work.

Family, here means - the given, the chosen & the recruited (support system at home) ones, who all when come together, form pillars to our strength.

When I think about it actively I realize that the following points have helped me -

>> Consistent Communication - I keep my daughter (& family) updated of what’s happening in my office, my life.  As a result, my family is glued into what is happening, what am I up to, what’s important and what’s well and what’s not working fine.

This close connect helps me in choosing my goals at work, setting my milestones - the unanimously agreed ones, which in turn provides me not only a sounding board at my home, for all my ideas and plans but also real critics with intention of helping me improve.

>> Collective ideation and brainstorming – Every time I need ideas, wild, dynamic, out of the box with a different perspective, I turn to my 9-year-old daughter! She is my go-to person when it comes to ideation, brainstorming on why’s and how’s. The questions that she asks put me to reflect, think through and coax me to look at things differently.

>> Sharing about what matters to me – Keeping family apprised about what’s my passion and how it matters to me! And that I would be committed to it.

>> Non-negotiables - An early morning project call, a late-night meeting, something what is important and is needed to be done is parked on the list of non-negotiables and then we work together to make it possible.

>> Sharing Responsibilities – It takes a village (at the least, family) to succeed. This happens when each family member understands and join hands to partner to do what’s needed to keep the home and everyone at home going. Fortunately, I got the ‘coming together and working together’ culture at home, so not much fine tuning required.

This year has been particularly difficult when one of my parents is being treated for life, if it was not for the advocates around me, it would have been a much difficult sail, I would not have been able to manage all that and still give my best possible!

>> Sharing the Spotlight - It cannot/ should not be about ‘I’ always – Each one in family need advocates at home to move ahead. So, it cannot be about me always. I find opportunities to support and encourage others in what they do. If we can, it will be great to be wind beneath one another’s wings.

>> Celebrating Wins together – A project well done, a session well conducted, a report timely done, a new idea taken shape – all these may sound BAU (business as usual) but all these are indeed outcomes of hard work put together, by one and all in family. No outcome is too small to be celebrated. If we acknowledge & celebrate the underlying support and cherish the success together, the happiness multiplies! Acknowledgement matters!

While I continue to receive some amazing pieces of reminders from my youngest advocate everyday, i think my favourite one that i hear often from her is -

“Happiness is the key to success, so be happy and enjoy what you do!”

When both my happiness and work are valued & advocated and i am encouraged to achieve my potential happily, i feel belonged!

To me, advocacy matters!

Advocates in all places, forms and age can make a valuable difference !

What do you say? Who are your advocates? Would be lovely to hear from you.