Focus on skills while WFH

TL;DR: Wellbeing matters. I focus on my communication and collaboration skills, as mastery is a key ingredient for a sense of purpose. And a sense of purpose helps me stay sane and healthy.

It’s okay not to be okay.

I intend to get through this phase healthy and sane. If, like me, you feel ready to focus on getting work done in virtual space, this article is for you.

Key skills in the virtual world

Out of all the challenges and pressures I experience right now, at work, there are two that are within my circle of influence:

• how I communicate
• how I collaborate

Think about it. Everything you do right now, from email, to chat, to video and phone calls, should serve to help you get work done. At the same time, there are new rules and norms to virtual communication that we all need to explore.

Before the corona crisis, you could step into a meeting room, perhaps spend a bit more time deliberating. Not today. That space is now a screen. On top of that, balancing work and home, I am pressed for time most days. 

That means my communication must be clear, concise and actionable. Yours should, too.

Circle of influence

The first week, I struggled with this idea. What am I going to do, now that what I did before is less effective? After thinking about this problem for a bit, I realized that my frame of reference was wrong. 

I was looking for things outside of myself to improve. What was going to help me was to focus on what was within my own power to improve. My skills are at the top of that list. 

Communication and collaboration

In a virtual workspace, with mismatched working hours, and where technology changes how I build rapport and relationships with people, this struck me as the ideal opportunity to work on how well I can do the following four things:

• Listen empathically: others struggle with virtual too!
• Get to the point in less than 150 words, or, 60 seconds
• Focus on creating output for others to improve and iterate
• Be less urgent in communication (no chat!)

The strange thing is this. All the action items beyond my direct influence seemed to start to fall into place the moment I started listening, clarifying, producing and left space for others to work in their own time.

Communication is a skill. Collaboration is a skill. Skills can be learnt. Skills can be improved. These are within my circle of influence. Focus on that. All else follows.