Co-Founder Peaceofmind Counseling Services, Harsharan K. Randhawa, in collaboration with Mrs. Manjusha Bhaskarwar, Director Bon. Debut, concluded a five day interaction successfully at the Kahalgaon, NTPC center in Bihar, in the first week of October (2023).
The workshops and interactions were filled with Role-Plays, Discussions, Fun Activities and lot of reflective engagements. Here is a detailed glimplse of the activities conducted and how the employees of this center benefited.
MENTOR MENTEE RELATIONSHIP WORKSHOP
"Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction."
A successful mentoring relationship starts with clear goals. If you want to succeed at anything, you need to set some goals. Whether you’re the mentor, mentee, or the person running the mentorship program, you have to know where you’re going if you’re ever going to get there. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time for everyone. But goal setting is difficult especially when it comes to those smart goals so, how to achieve this?
With this motive in mind, a session on “Mentor Mentee Relationship” was conducted by Bon Debut, Pune and Peaceofmind Counselling Services, Raipur, on 6th Oct 2023 for the mentors and mentees of NTPC Kahalgaon. How do you know if your goal is achievable? Are you setting the bar too high? Or worse, too low? All these questions of the experts during the session activated the thought process of the participants which led them to analyze themselves. The session began with relaxation therapy in which the participants were made to reach a stress free state. The purpose of this therapy was to help them make a connection with their inner self so that can be aware of their emotions.
One of the most common reasons that employees look up to their mentors or mentorships is to develop specific skills. These skills upgrade them and make them productive. The mentees, as they are novice, need to understand the purpose of their mentorship, do they want to follow in their mentor’s footsteps? Or are they looking for advice and guidance from them for their career growth? The session was made interesting by conducting different activities for example, “The Balloon Battle”, the participants were made to do this activity to make them realize the importance of team bonding and focus on the target/goal. They were then asked to relate this activity with their workplace as a result of which, they were able to understand how they can improve their productivity by team work and focusing on the target. This activity was followed by “Image Theatre Presentation” where the participants were asked to give presentations on different topics team wise.
The experts also threw light on different soft-skills like, communication, body language, critical thinking, adaptability and leadership. They also spoke about how for new employees, a mentor can provide useful insight into corporate culture. Their short-term goal may be to become more aware of their workplace routines, policies, and expectations. A mentor can coach the mentee through problems or act as an advisor to learn problem-solving skills. Adjusting to a company’s culture quickly will help the mentees to hit the ground running and set them up for success.
The session was not only for the benefit of the mentees but for the mentors as well. Mentors stand to benefit from mentoring relationships just as much as their mentees. They may wish to validate their leadership skills, learn better communication, increase their emotional intelligence, or learn better empathy. They can even gain a fresh perspective from a more junior employee.
The session concluded by highlighting the effectiveness of mentorship which is an effective way to enhance employee engagement because it fosters connections between employees, a key factor in workplace satisfaction and engagement. Through mentorship, new employees will better understand the corporate culture and what is expected of them. The connection employees make with a mentor will also give them a feeling of belonging and show them that they’re valuable. The session was highly appreciated, the positive feedback given by the participants made it a success.
Nelson Mandela once said, "A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special." And that's the power of mentoring - it enables us to cultivate not only our heads and hearts but also our tongues and pens so that we can share our knowledge and wisdom with the world.
2. WORK LIFE BALANCE
The term "Work-Life balance" is a term used to describe the balancing of work and the degree to which an individual is able to gain equal satisfaction with job roles and family roles. It is typically defined as the amount of time you spend doing your job versus the amount of time you spend with your loved ones or pursuing personal interests and hobbies.
A session on “Work-Life Balance” by Bon Debut, Pune and Peaceofmind Counselling Services, Raipur, was conducted for women on 7th Oct 2023 in which the experts talked about how working women can maintain the equilibrium between their professional and personal lives.
The role of working women has changed throughout the world due to economic conditions and social demands. This has resulted in a scenario in which working women have tremendous pressure to develop a career as robust as their male counterparts while sustaining active engagement in personal life. When work demands more of your time or attention, you'll have less time to handle your other responsibilities or passions. In the session, the experts talked about why it is very important to balance our work and life. They also laid emphasis on improving this balance to improve the overall well-being, including ones physical, emotional, and mental health.
It was highlighted in the session that achieving a healthy work-life balance can not only potentially reduce stress and improve emotional states but also increase overall productivity. Many useful tips were shared by the experts to improve the work-life balance like:
· Taking a pause, analyzing and understanding how the various parts of your life are impacting one another.
· Assessing your priorities.
· Managing your time effectively.
· Setting boundaries.
· Reflecting and refining your approach, your actions to maintain this balance.
A practical approach was used in the session by using drama and image theatre activities which made it more interesting. The audience actively and mindfully participated by coming up with their doubts and queries which made the session successful. The session ended with the positive feedback given by the participants and they thanked the authorities for arranging this workshop, hoping to have more such kind of workshops in future too.
To conclude: “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
3. EFFECTIVE PARENTING WORKSHOP
Parenting, a never ending lesson, is not only full of challenges but is exciting and satisfying as well but there is no doubt that it has become one of the biggest challenges for the parents nowadays. It never ends, teaching the parents, which is why, it’s a never ending lesson. A garden with different flowers becomes beautiful when it blossoms. Similarly, if parents learn how to be a ‘gardener’ and are able to recognize their child’s personality and nourish it, then their ‘garden’ will become fragrant! This is what effective parenting is all about!
A session on “Effective parenting” by Bon Debut, Pune and Peaceofmind Counselling Services, Raipur, was conducted on 7th Oct 2023 in which the experts talked about effective parenting skills and how parents by learning these skills can bridge the gap between them and their children. With an aim to offer an in-depth, complete understanding of today’s teenagers, the experts gave positive parenting solutions for instilling moral values, good manners, and discipline, which are very fruitful during adolescence.
Children learn more from what we are than what we teach. Therefore, it becomes imperative for adults to unlearn a few things and acquire new skills to model the personality they would like their child to be. The experts talked about the importance of setting boundaries and how this can help the child in his/her holistic development. They also spoke about the emotional needs of the children which are more important to be fulfilled by the parents than materialistic needs. Emphasis was laid on a more participative approach in parenting that would help build trust between the parent and the child.
Parents actively participated by asking queries and clearing their doubts which made the session more fulfilling. The parents shared an encouraging, positive feedback about the workshop and appreciated the school’s effort in involving the parents in overall child development.
“There is no such thing as a perfect parent so, just be the best you can be.”