Respecting the Whole Person

When you see yourself in your mind’s eye, you probably see more than your outward appearance.  I know I do.  I see me as a whole person and think about myself in terms of my thoughts, my heart, and my spirit.  I seek what gives me joy and makes me think critically and challenges beliefs that don’t necessarily serve me.  And, I love it when others notice more of me than just what is on the outside.  My guess is that you do too.  And, that got me thinking about what I can do more of to notice the “wholeness” of the people around me.  Here are some things I’m committed to do more of.  How about you?

·    Listen for the meaning behind what someone says through their tone of voice and choice of words.
·    Probe for deeper understanding to ensure I hear what’s important to someone else.
·    Pay attention to what makes someone “light up” when they talk.  This can be a sure sign of a passion.
·    Notice someone’s interests and choice of leisure activities to gain insight to what they appreciate.

It’s not important that other people notice that I’m doing these things.  What’s important is how my interactions with them are influenced as a result of me paying closer attention to their wholeness.  At the very least, I can be as gentle and accepting with them as I’d appreciate others to be with me.  Because, we’re all more than just the roles we play.  We are whole beings and are wholly deserving of respect.

Warmly,

Lynae

Key Words of Respect

Lynae and I have been working with individuals, teams and organizations for a long time and one of the very practical tools that we offer in our work with teams is to think about “key words” that individuals can use during “key times” to articulate intention and influence outcomes in any given situation.

I was recently with a group in Florida that found this concept and the practical application of it to be very valuable.  It was fun to see the shift of energy in people as they realized the power of influence that they have in challenging customer service situations simply by the way they responded.

I love seeing the confidence that is created when individuals recognize their own personal power of influence in any given situation when the answer and action is really quite simple – speak from a place of respect and intention about what matters most.

As humans, we naturally react from our ego.  So, when a customer expresses a frustration, dissatisfaction or negative emotion it would be natural to “react” in a defensive way and feel frustration ourselves.

Identifying “key words” gives us the power to “respond” in challenging situations vs. react.  Using “key words” keeps us centered on what matters most and opens doors to service, collaboration, and connection.

Here is an exercise that you can apply individually or with your team to identify “key words” during the typical or tough situation that you find yourself responsible to respond to.

1.    Identify:  Write examples of the comments, questions or complaints that you typically hear from your customers or that are challenging to respond to.

2.    Interpret:  What could the customer be thinking, feeling, wanting?  What is their perspective?  Now, think about what you want the outcome to be in this situation.  What is your perspective? What matters most to you in terms of the outcome?

3.    Respond:  Identify “key word” that you could use from how you answered the “interpret” questions.  Write down the words that you could say to explain or respond to the customer.  What questions could you ask to gain a better understanding?  How could you best educate the customer?  How can you best articulate your intent?  What key actions and behaviors are important to demonstrate as you say these words to ensure that you meet your desired outcome?

Respectfully yours,
Georgine

Values and Health

Last week, I participated in an event with the Minneapolis Heart Institute which focused on women’s heart health.  I talked about values and how they play an important role in helping people gain a strong sense of self, which in turn can help people choose healthy behaviors.

I did some homework for the talk and discovered that there is a growing body of research that affirms the “role of self” in preventing and recovering from health events.  To quote one of the articles I found, “How the self is defined determines what goals will be meaningful, which in turn determines what behaviors will be enacted to meet those goals.”  So, it follows (as the article also pointed out) that “the self likely plays a pivotal role in regulating individual thoughts, motivations and decision-making activities relevant to health behaviors.”  In other words, if I value vitality, it’s likely that I would behave in ways that increase my energy – like exercising regularly, eating well, and getting plenty of sleep.

Values are at the core of our selves, and help us gain a clear sense of who we are and how we want to live.  I was delighted to see research about how the role of self and one’s value system influences health.  It just reinforced what Georgine and I have believed and shared with clients for many years now.  That’s why we created a suite of products to help people discover their values – to help people improve their results.

What I appreciated about being able to participate in the event last week was to help women see how values can serve as another tool to help them make healthy choices.  And, perhaps clarifying your values will help you too.  Here are some questions to help you get started:

·    What are your 5 core values – those values that are most important to you right now in the age and stage of your life?
·    How do these values show up for you?
·    What do you gather around you in your life that reinforce or align with your values?
·    What can you let go of that doesn’t support your values?
·    How do your values help you make choices that help you live a healthy life?

Wishing you health and vitality,

Lynae