The last time I spent so much time indoors was back when I had to cram a year’s worth of lecture notes in a few weeks of study. Back then, it felt like everything stopped until my end-of-year exams. 

This time though, work did not stop and my social gatherings made an attempt to happen on a screen. The time I spent in isolation resulted in less structured days and blurred lines between work and family time. As I juggled through life from the same place and through the same screen I learnt that a friend’s time came to an end, following a seven- month-long battle with illness. 

I knew Jonathan Chetcuti through his business partner, Jonathan (Dalli). Thanks to their relationship I was lucky enough to have spent a few moments with him. I am not the first to write about Jonathan (links further down). In this post I wish to talk about the most important  lessons inspired by his approach to work, as told by one man who had him as a colleague, his business partner, and his close friend. Listening to stories about Jonathan’s life at the office I see one consistent theme – a clear sense of the priority of what really matters. 

Think before you speak 

I am reminded of the last time I hastily fired away that email reply, only to regret sending it later. Jonathan’s approach to that email would probably have been different. Had he been in copy he would have told me to go home, sleep over it and reply the next day. Or I go back to that instance where I laboured over a point unnecessarily. Had Jon been in the room he would have suggested I put it behind me and move on. 

‘Decimate’ problems

How do you move on I would ask? That’s one more lesson from Jonathan’s life at the office. The people with whom he worked closely can tell you that he would be able to ‘decimate’ a problem, break it down into smaller parts and then tackle them one after the other. Contrary to that, in corporate life I have often experienced a ‘panic button’ reaction to big challenges. Such a response creates a lot of work, urgency and pressure. It might make one feel like something is being done, but rarely solves the problem in the longer term, only for it to resurface some time later. 

Calmness

It is sometimes tough to hold back and think before I speak. When I manage, it does help me to understand the problem better and focus on the solution, not relying solely on my initial reaction. Even when I succeed in approaching challenges in this way, my default would be the ‘panic button’ approach, with some more drama on top to make sure I drive the point to the people around me. What makes me calmer is seeing the problem in the context of more important and meaningful aspects of my life. Calmness was one of Jonathan’s noticeable traits. Even when he needed to challenge you or reprimand you he would tease it out of a joke. Often you would be the subject of the joke and would clearly get the message and thank him for it. 

This is how this sense of priority runs through the above lessons. Thinking before you speak implies prioritising the outcome more than your ego. Decimating a problem requires doing away with the aspects of a situation which are not the essence of the problem. Staying calm in a challenging situation requires one to think constructively, and prioritise what can be done over the worries about what cannot. Approaching these challenges with this mindset does not devalue the attention we give them; rather it helps us to tackle them calmly. 

I learnt that Jonathan never missed a school run, even when his most important client was visiting from abroad. He would excuse himself, attend to his daily appointment and get back to work. That’s how clearly he prioritised his time.

As we progress through 2020, with challenges that we never expected, let the memory of this fine gentleman fill in the blanks with colour and warmth. Let it also remind us that time is finite, and particularly during this crisis, every minute is an opportunity to inspire those around us as Jonathan did. 

To more meaningful days at the office with a focus on what really matters and the boldness to do away with unnecessary clutter. To more beautiful days in the ‘neighbourhood’ with inspiring stories like Jonathan’s life. 

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More articles about Jonathan:

Gege Gatt writes ‘Connecting 7 dots in Jonathan’s life’: https://www.gegegatt.com/jonathan-chetcuti-connecting-7-dots/

Tributes from several friends, not least those he met in sports: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/tributes-pour-in-for-volleyball-stalwart-jonathan-chetcuti-who-died.789716

Several close friends and relatives wrote ‘Appreciation: Jonathan Chetcuti’ https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/appreciation-jonathan-chetcuti.790229