Glimpses and insights from Sedin Cares

Meta-skills are like the superpowers behind other important abilities. They are the foundation that helps us develop and use different skills. At our learning community, Sedin Cares is all about getting really good at these foundational skills – and that's something we're super proud of.

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Let me share a quick look into the skills we're always practicing and getting better at.

In case you have missed knowing about the Sedin Cares check out what we do there here.

Glimpses and insights

Reflecting

In this fast-paced world, we easily get caught up in our daily grind, losing sight of our personal and professional development. Reflection is a key skill on our journey of self-discovery, continuous learning, and professional development.

Often taking a step back and reflecting can also help us come to a clearer understanding of ourselves. By intentionally creating space for reflection, we can examine our experiences in different depths, identify areas of improvement and apply those insights to future situations.

When we practice reflecting on any incidents continuously, we begin to identify patterns that in turn will help us to adapt, grow, and approach new opportunities with confidence.

Here are a few questions that we practiced asking ourselves to get started with our reflecting journey.

Giving and receiving feedback

This skill lays the foundation for a growth-oriented environment that strengthens relationships and encourages collaboration.

We realized that feedback primarily reflects the perspectives, experiences, assumptions, and beliefs of the giver. By acknowledging these influences that shape feedback, we learned to navigate beyond them and provide feedback that is supportive and constructive. We also understood the importance of sharing feedback with empathy and a genuine desire to help others.

Moreover, we recognized the significance of adopting the right mindset when receiving feedback. We discovered that feedback is an opportunity for personal growth, distinct from our self-worth.

We got to practice the skill of sharing feedback through different activities. Here are sample statements that will serve as a start, enabling us to share feedback in a way that is respectful and impactful.

Questioning

In many instances, we tend to accept information presented to us without questioning it and dive into the tasks as instructed. However, by actively seeking to understand the "why" behind actions, we unlock valuable insights about the underlying reasons. This will help us gain a fresh perspective that can greatly enhance our work.

During our session, we took simple examples and observed the outcomes when we questioned the "why" behind them versus when we did not. Through this exercise, we clearly witnessed the stark difference in outcomes when we began questioning the reasoning behind our actions. We discovered that these outcomes improved significantly, presenting us with diverse and potentially better solutions.

This shift in mindset helps us to approach tasks with a broader understanding and enables us to work more effectively.

Framing

During this session, we explored framing and its ability to shape our understanding, emotions, and actions toward achieving positive outcomes.

To illustrate this, Rajesh shared an anecdote about an abandoned public place that has become a hub for criminal activities. The conventional approach would be to address the issue by increasing security measures and patrols. However, what if we were to reframe the situation and view it as an opportunity to create a community center that benefits the children and youth in the area?

This skill allows us to examine situations, challenges, and experiences through different lenses, providing us with fresh insights and untapped opportunities. A much-needed skill to think out of the box and come up with creative solutions in our professional and personal lives.

Each of us possesses unique qualities. Granting individuals the freedom to experiment, coupled with the tools for self-improvement, propels us toward greater achievements. Sedin Cares is a significant step in making us better at what we do.