Stay human while taking care of business

We basically work to sustain our life, to expand it, and to enjoy it while we simultaneously take a piece of the world and make it better along with others, for others.

At least, I don’t work with just a business in mind. 

What we have is a group of organized people going towards a common goal.

From this perspective, #business is what people do. What they agree upon. What they achieve together. 

Amid day-to-day workflows, metrics are often prioritized over connection. The "achieving" aspect becomes louder than the “together” part.

Then, somewhere in the middle communication is less than crystal clear, time is scarce and things get messy, so we become more transactional and goal-oriented to sustain our operations.

We move away from the connection that ultimately fosters trust, shared purpose and collaboration.

This is like sustaining human life on fast food. It’s not going to get in better shape and it won’t last much.

We already know it. But sometimes it feels like ain't nobody got time for that.

Is it really possible to stay #human while taking care of the business? While making tough decisions? Can we stay on track and genuinely connect with the people we spend the day working with?

Yes. We just need to be intentional about it.

For starters, we can have a series of small, consistent gestures with each other:

1.- Remember to say Thank you! / Please / Happy to help! genuinely instead of a default answer like Of course / Ándele.

2.- Turn your setbacks into stepping stones. When things don't go as planned, openly approach failure as a guide.

3.- To keep meaning and #motivation flowing, remark the positive impact of a task that your team or someone is working on. Do it once a week or so. 

4.- When in #conflict, listen with curiosity. Agreeing is not necessary. Just be there to understand something new at a deep level. Then see what happens within you.

5.- Connect using your non-verbal #communication. Won’t tell you to smile, but to maybe use an approachable expression.

And many more, in accordance with each #context.

There are still many work cultures that reinforce the serious professional stereotype, which is a type of person that aims to project some kind of authority and that is not necessarily associated with these behaviors.

For people that have been immersed in those environments for a while, these gestures can even be perceived as a sign of weakness or submission, so they use them sparingly or omit them altogether.

Twisted.

Making a living by paying the price of a tense environment is just not worth it, it’s not sustainable.

Businesses are made by people and healthy connections among people add up to healthy, successful organizations.

How to summon and channel the #intentionality we talked about?

Adopt 1 gesture, 2 times per day, for 3 weeks.

Just 1

When interacting with your team, notice changes in tones, facial expressions, and overall #vibe if you’re able to. Notice changes in motivation and drive. 

It would be awesome if you share what happens.

Thanks for reading.

-Barbara