Happy Teachers Day!

Today, 5th of September is celebrated as Teachers Day in India.

I have been fortunate to have come across great teachers since my childhood and I would like to thank each one of them, everyday!

As I look back to my journey of life, I must say that my mother has been the greatest teacher (and the greatest agile coach) I know personally. Moreover, I am very lucky to get her guidance every day in my life. Though I know that she is not going to read this post (she is not on LinkedIn🙂), I wanted to share a few thoughts of mine about her and thank her (though I do that everyday) on this occasion of teachers day. My teachers day celebrations are incomplete without wishing my encouraging mother who is the source of my inspiration and my energy!

When I was born, I did not only get a mother but I also got my teacher who taught me the smallest of the things I know today. Life is very easy when you have someone to hold your hand, guide you through and understand you (just like an agile coach). And my mother is certainly the greatest agile coach I know!

I have always believed that organizations will not become agile if they lack the “human focused approach”. And who else, but the mother is a great example of “human focused approach” all her life.

Agile Leaders are those who “figure it out”, who “get it” when faced with the new and different challenges. Similarly, mothers have to be both fast on their feet and make sure they are modeling the behaviors they wish their future generations to adopt. For mothers, new challenges and ambiguity are the norm, rather than the exception.

Throughout parenthood, people agility (possessing strong self-awareness, emotional intelligence, flexibility, conflict management, listening, and communications skills) is a must-have, make-or-break skill. Awareness of each one of her children’s personalities, abilities, and feelings help her to choose how to relate, support, and nurture each of them. Mothers create networks where they provide, as well as receive, support, wisdom or, many times, just words of encouragement. Trust me, mothers have the largest social network without being on any of the social media platforms!

Adaptability is the ability and willingness to respond to changing circumstances. It involves learning new skills and assuming new behaviors. It requires an awareness of the changes in your environment and the flexibility to respond accordingly and effectively to the new conditions successfully.

Motherhood is basically one new challenge after another. Regardless of how many books you read or blogs you follow, no mom really knows what she’s doing until she experiences it herself. You do the research, learn new skills, and face each one with determination and resiliency.

Mothers play a crucial role in helping their children understand and manage their emotions. They provide emotional support and comfort. In the agile world, we call it “Emotional Intelligence”.

I have two siblings and my mother knows how to address varied (and often conflicting) personalities and needs. Its is like working cohesively with a diverse group of people all her life. A mother can not only adapt to new situations and changes to plans, but also she is experienced in adapting to different people. (Especially my Indian friends will know how many relatives we have to deal throughout our lives😁.)

A mother is a strong leader. When life throws challenges, kids look to mother to see how she fields them. As a mom, her calm, positive example influences children’s resilience and ability to adapt. Mother exudes strength and wisdom.

At the end of the day, the most important mission for mothers is to nurture, develop, and inspire their children. Our mothers are our first leadership models, the lifetime mentors we will never forget, and our strongest imprint.

If you want to be a great agile leader, a great agile coach or a good human being, just look back to your own life and recall all the moments when your mother was there for you – standing strong but always calm and resilient.

Happy Teacher’s Day!