Yesterday, votes were cast in the Scottish Referendum, today, the results came in…
There are lessons we can all learn from the process and outcome
Whichever side of the voting fence you were on, this week has marked a momentous historical occasion. It is important now to focus on what comes next, but also to reflect on what we can learn from the Scottish Referendum.
First of all, let me admit a bias towards ‘No’. So yes, I am very pleased with the result. I am not Scottish or even British, but I do live in England (in Doncaster, in fact, which may technically belong to Scotland!) and I grew up as an Italian-German in Luxembourg and then moved to the UK. I grew up in the hub of EU activity, attending the European School. I was in this hub of EU activity when it was still the EEC. I grew up in a culturally and linguistically diverse environment and am therefore more than slightly biased towards union and co-operation.
But this little foray into my educational past aside, I have seen how collaboration and co-operation can work in business, too. Whether it’s with customers, suppliers, colleagues or even competitors. A great example of this is the collaboration and support that professional speakers offer each other within the PSA, even amongst those that speak on similar topics.
So, now we’ve dealt with disclosure of how I feel about the outcome, here are the lessons I feel we can learn from the Scottish Referendum:
- It is important to be gracious in defeat as well as in victory. Now is not the time for bitter bite-backs or gleeful gloating. In all relationships, whether they are personal ones or business ones, this is a key point to moving beyond conflict and towards co-operation.
- It is important to focus on moving forward, not looking back. Accepting the outcome of a dispute and working together to make adjustments and achieve a more positive future for all involved is key.
- You may be one of the 1.6m Scottish voters who are bitterly disappointed today. Ranting and raving and lashing out at ‘the opposition’ is not going to change the outcome and holding on to anger has the potential to raise your stress levels and affect your health & well-being as well as your relationships with those around you. This also applies to disappointing outcomes in any personal or business situation.
- YOU have a choice: You can choose your mood, your actions, your attitude.
- You can choose to put the events into context (the key positive context of the Referendum, in my opinion, is that we live in a democracy in which it was possible for this to take place) and to focus your energy on moving forward in a positive way.
- You can choose to be happy even when things don’t go the way you’d hoped.
Happiness is a deliberate state of mind!
If you’d like to book me to speak, train or consult, please get in touch.
My book, ‘Recipe for Happiness’, is available to buy in e-book and paperback formats.
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