After a short (~2.5 hours) and pleasant early morning flight (Oman Air: Delhi to Muscat), as I landed on the tarmac that represented the country of Oman on a pleasant April morning, I could sense a vibe that represented a culture that is a sacred amalgamation of tradition and subtle modernity. Niloufer Aga, Director of Reflections Oman LLC, and my contact there, awaited my arrival and briefed me on the Omani traditions. As we conversed, I shared with Niloufer, my intimacy with the people in the Middle East and UAE, having spent almost close to a decade, visiting Dubai, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan amongst other countries in the EMEA region. I have always been received with warmth and welcoming smiles.
Excited about kicking off the ‘Rediscover Your Spark’ workshop, I headed towards my destination, the Hormuz Grand Hotel, my mind already in pre-prep mode and rehearsing what I understood about Omanis so that I could mold my workshop to make it most relevant to them. A word about my audience: The Omanis are by far the friendliest people I have ever met, this being my second trip to Oman after six years, it felt like home. The streets of Oman reminded me of the little streets of Delhi, a reflection of Indianness in its most desi way.
Oman’s culture as it stands now, is a product of 200 years of evolution, with architecture inspired by that of the Indian Mogul era and an industry that once thrived on agriculture and fishing. Today, Oman is a contending country in the banking and other financial services, as well as import.
The workshop I had been engaged for, titled ‘Rediscover Your Spark’, was a meticulously planned event to help my audience identify that each one of them had a spark within them and that even within the boundaries of their culture, nothing stopped them from rediscovering and igniting it.
50 executives and associates from Bank Dhofar, Bank Muscat, Shell Oman, Areej Vegetable Oils and Derivatives SAOG and Galfar Engineering SAOG came in for the workshop and spent a fruitful day engaging in the tools, games and interactive sessions of the workshop. This workshop was specifically targetted at the senior leadership executives, who, during the course of their careers, have already dealt with high tension high-risk decision-making, multi-cultural teams with polaric competencies that require a constant high span of attention and leadership skills. Add to this, most of them have compromised in some way in their personal lives to reach their professional heights.
My workshop aims at addressing that overkill and bringing the child-like enthusiasm back in them. While they have learnt to think differently, the workshop brings them from a sphere of complexity to an arena of simplicity, basically, the joy de vivre.
‘Rediscover Your Spark’ is a workshop that brings the gift of self discovery to life. I urge the leaders to take a pause and feel the air. My thought-provoking questions and fun interactions sprinkled generously with real-life examples makes for a perfect introspection recipe. It’s only when an individual goes after his/her inner calling that the journey of self-discovery begins, just the way mine did. This is what my workshops aim to do.
Many participants have been gracious enough to reach out to me during and after my workshops with kind words about how I helped them build a new perspective and carve out a new path in this mature stage of their professional and personal lives.
As I addressed my audience (in the picture below), I saw wonder, awe and curiosity amongst the various executives, and was greeted with a lot of pertinent questions on how many different ways one could define one’s own inner calling.
Here’s local press coverage about the workshop:
Sharing happy moments with the encaptured group, I realized how different and yet how similar we all were, irrespective of our diversities. My workshop touched each one of them, and they had a question to ask as they left the venue: ‘How do I set my spark on fire?’ Rather, I thought, it was about reigniting that lost spark. But I kept that thought to myself and let the leaders arrive at their own perfect answers. As long as they have thought about it, and questioned the status quo, they will have their answers. That thought in mind, I decided to explore the beautiful country while I was there.
A good workshop and a headiness that only a successful project can give, took me on a leisurely quest to discover the beauty of Oman across:
Thankfully for my family, I did get a chance to shop for souveniers of Omani Frankinscence and traditional bakhoor at the Souq in Muscat. Famous for a variety of museums, Oman has a history that was sketched by its prophets, kings and legends that have enticed travelers to this beautiful Sultanate. I wasn’t able to visit every tourist attraction, but what I saw left me in awe of the country.
If you are in Oman, please contact Niloufer Aga – niloufer.aga@reflectionsoman.com or write to Cutting Edge Learning Systems at info@simerjeetsingh.com / events@simerjeetsingh.com for tailored workshops and keynotes for your organization’s needs.
Apart from ‘Rediscover Your Spark’, I also give keynotes at sales kickoffs, annual meets and corporate events. Please visit my YouTube channel to see me in action.
So long till next time!!
Simer
