Recently a colleague of mine posted the following on LinkedIn:
We are all wearing multiple hats. Next time someone doesn’t perform in their role, maybe consider what other hats they are wearing that might just weigh a bit heavier at the moment. What hats are you wearing? Here’s my inventory; for some I get paid, for some I get love and a hug and for some I get nothing in return….
Mother
Wife
Cleaning woman
Cook
Teacher
Her list went on much longer and each item made me think.
Do we really need to acknowledge the multitude of roles we are performing? Isn’t this a normal part of life? If something goes wrong, is some compassion and a kind question enough? We all make mistakes. Why are we not more generous with our mistakes? And after all, often the reason for a mistake is not in the multiple hats we’re wearing but a high-paced environment, too much work and the expectation that perfection and excellence are the same.