Have Free time? Spend it helping others
Time and Tide wait for no man, the adage goes. But then there are times when there’s so much time that you don’t feel the ticking at all! What then, is the best thing to do in such times? Try spending it helping others. It will not just make you happy while secretly discovering the inner you, which you might not know, but also lighten up a couple of others. Precisely whilst this Coronavirus pandemic, these are few cool things you can do -
Assist small businesses
They have been hit the hardest and need help to weather the storm. It could be your distant cousin or a friend struggling with his start-up business. If you have expertise in specific tools like sales forecasting or business insights, share them with the local businesses around you who might need your help in the short-term. Even small things like a short review on Instagram stories, Facebook mentions, or a nice post tagging the venture could brighten up someone’s day!
Help organizations manage the human impact of the crisis.
I saw that the pandemic is taking a toll on students’ mental health who have been constrained within the 4 walls of their house. As the General Secretary of the IMT Student Council, I arranged for a mental wellness webinar with the country’s leading psychologist, Dr.R.K. Sharma, so that IMT students and staff members can deal better with various adult psychological issues.
Coaching
Coronavirus is causing many to reflect on their sense of purpose, while others suffer from stress and anxiety. From my personal example, as the General Secretary of the Student Council, I initiated and drove the complete negotiation, partnership, and execution of IMT Ghaziabad Coursera For Campus Initiative 2020, wherein I got 1500 Coursera licenses approved for IMT Students free of cost. Personally, this gave me a lot of happiness as I was able to positively impact professional life and add learning value to thousands of students.
Support the pandemic response in whatever way you can
Whether it is a local hospital trying to source some more supplies for patients, or a community seeking to orchestrate meal deliveries to senior citizens, if you are an expert, you can advise on how to do the work better or faster. One of my friends who worked in a logistics company helped local businesses work together to plan an effective and coordinated effort on supply chain medical deliveries. Organizational effectiveness, communications, coaching and mentoring, crisis leadership coaching are just some of the vast array of consulting capabilities that can help affected businesses. In fact, the famous Italian artist Alberto Canova is providing his artwork free of charge to organizations to support their communications during this pandemic. This pro bono work is good for Alberto too. He builds his repertoire, stays active, and generates goodwill with future potential clients.
These small ventures or kind acts are valuable in themselves. In the process, you expand your personal and professional capabilities. And the investments can help you develop fresh relationships that blossom into a new business when recovery begins.
