In our last blog post of the year, Careers Consultant Rish Baruah explains why a popular BBC show has a real resonance for the world of work and your career.
I’m not a fan of Strictly Come Dancing; my wife loves it, but it just doesn’t interest me. I did find myself paying attention this year though, when Rose Ayling-Ellis’ silent dance literally gave me goosebumps.
Although I didn’t watch the final, my Twitter feed was full of people commenting that it was a triumph not only of dance, but for diversity. I believe that Johannes Radebe even mentioned the importance of visibility in one of his interviews.
My wife got a bit teary at this point. She remembered back in the 1990s, when she was learning a bit of British Sign Language; at the same time, she had gay friends who were coming to terms with their sexuality and whether or not to come out. Who could have imagined that, one day, a deaf woman, and a same-sex couple could compete in the final of a televised dance competition?
This brings me to the world of work. In my time as a careers professional, I have lost count of the number of times that a client has said “well I don’t think that people like me can do that job” or words to that effect. As Johannes said, visibility is very important, and as one of my friends frequently comments, “You cannot be what you cannot see“.
In a year in which young black and mixed-race footballers have been abused for missing a penalty, and there have been numerous political scandals which boil down to “do as we say, not as we do”, I applaud what I saw in the Strictly final, and hope that it inspires many people to achieve great things, not just in the world of dance, but in life.
If you can see it, you can be it.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year. Rish.
[Photo by Prateek Katyal from Pexels]
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