LeadershipEdge Coaching

It was a decade back and I still remember it was a gloomy winter morning in the capital city of India, Delhi. Or should I say New Delhi because Delhi was never like that before in the earlier many decades. The pollution was so depressing that taking a morning walk for good health could actually be counterproductive. So I restricted myself to my treadmill before I could prepare to leave for office. It was a new year, the 2nd of January and the first day at work being a Monday. The year 2012. Come let’s go back in time and then back to the future.

Amygdala at work

After almost three decades of hard work, passion and career growth just about everything would seem perfect for any management professional going up in their career graph.. The position, the salary, the perks, the bonuses, frequent travels abroad as an achiever with team and spouse at times. Even the hazy weather probably couldn’t dent their enthusiasm and morale. However the heart for me that morning was giving a different feeler. It certainly was Amagdala at work once again. For good or for worse?

What is Amygdala?

The name Amygdala is derived from the Greek word amygdale meaning almond. This almond shaped small part of our brain in our limbic system of nerves and networks though plays a big job. It’s the major processing center for our emotions like fear, pleasure, happiness, anger, hatred, jealousy, aggressiveness, love, empathy and more. It also links our emotions to many other brain abilities, especially memories, learning, our senses and decision making. But it can also be a great disruptor just like it was happening for me that morning.

And it wasn’t actually my heart giving me a different feeler, it was my Amygdala flashing thoughts in my mind to quit it all and move towards a new goal, a new destination. Did I fall for it? Yes I did and that morning later in office I put down my papers, with a three month notice period that was mandatory in our organization. In search of the new and to chart out a new course following my passion. The passion to transform lives of many more professionals like me.

Back to the future

Many of you would have watched this movie “Back to the Future”, a popular science fiction directed by Robert Zemeckis. The story is about a teenager named Marty Mcfly who accidentally travels back in time to 1955 in a time machine built by his eccentric friend Doc Brown. And once there he chalks out his plans and takes actions to help his father and mother look back to their past, making them fall in love during their school days, acts as a matchmaker and then ensures his own existence. It’s a great movie with lots of valuable lessons. On consequences of actions, importance of relationships, embracing change, responsibility, friendship, adaptability and belief in yourself.

Education today has moved by leaps and bounds. It’s no longer like the old blind men. A degree in any discipline is just not enough today but technology has made continuous learning and reskilling so very accessible and right on our fingertips to help us take that extra step. The more we look inwards the more will we get a vision about our life and what we wish to achieve. And to achieve that what are the skill sets I need to set up a goal and go and achieve. Our mind is the key for all our actions. It’s just for us to unlock.

As I look back to my own last decade into coaching after venturing out for the first time, its been one of complete fulfillment, lots of learning and the opportunity to come across and interact with a cross-section of learners from school, college, university, agricultural university, skill based rural startups, doctors, paramedic staff, clerical staff and managers in public sector banks, employees in private and public sector organizations starting from starters to the level of VP’s across roles and industries. And today when I look back I would certainly give credit to my Amygdala to push me to go for the thought it had first propagated. And the determination to pursue my passion has helped me look out of the box as well and launch my other passion travel through my travel blog, Travels With Passion & our holiday booking platform, Travelwisesr Holidays.

A word of caution on our Amygdala

It’s our Amygdala which is responsible for all our emotions, good or bad. And therefore we must not get carried away by all the emotions that it suggests in every given situation. We must take back a few steps back, take deep breaths, give that moment couple of more seconds and weigh out the consequences of our action. We must respond and not react. And not let Amygdala sit on our head. Rather we must take control.

Back to the future

While in the movie Back to the future the idiom “Make like a tree and leave” meaning asking someone to leave immediately was the subject of great entertainment and features in the sequels as well, real life is different. There is so much to be done before we can retire from active life. The time to act is now. To build ourselves as strong as a tree, connected, nourished, loved and prepared for all the challenges. But first comes the question, do we have the skills?