This is ‘Titi the singer’ doing Karaoke at the recent Toastmasters dinner. I sang Asa’s ‘Be my man’. Asa is one of my favorite musicians and one of Nigeria’s biggest export.
Someone in the audience was quite thrilled to see that I have singing talent. I guess she never saw this side of me till that evening. She has only experienced the speakership and leadership parts of me. Now the ‘singership’ has been added and it was simply awesome, she couldn’t hold the surprise that this gave her. I told her I have been actively singing since I was a child, and if you know, you know.
I took away a lesson from our interaction. You can only know someone to the extent of the experience you’ve had of them. That’s why it’s always advised that you should never judge anyone if you have never experienced them.
I remember a time when I officially met someone I had heard a lot of negative reviews about. We were on an activity team together by providence and I discovered one of the most amazing humans ever. We had very meaningful conversations at leisure that I found truly inspiring.
May I also add that activities where people can let their hair down and just be themselves are necessary in the workplace. That’s why I facilitate retreats for organisations that appreciate team bonding. It’s these times you will see that your serious MD/CEO or HOD can dance, sing, jump, play games, laugh so hard, prank people etc. These events create the opportunity to know ourselves better and discover the talents among us.
