Practice Respect by Demonstrating an Open Mind

I’ve been thinking lately about the power of having an open mind.  Probably because the holiday season brings increased social gatherings with friends and families in which we get to engage in good old fashioned dialogue. I had a conversation with my spouse the other day on the way home from one of these gatherings about “open-mindedness”.

The text book definition of “open minded” includes words like; curiosity, impartially, non-prejudice and broad-minded.  My favorite is “receptive”.  When we are receptive, we can actively listen to any thought or idea even if we disagree.

Aristotle once said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it”. I think that what he is saying is that everyone has their own “truth” and it may not be what is true for you at the moment.

An individual’s belief system is based on things like life experiences, upbringing, generational influences and ethnicity.  Everyone has an interesting and unique story that has shaped their beliefs.  I have found that if I practice listening to others with a curiosity to understand their perspective, I learn a lot about that person and more often than not, broaden my own perspective and viewpoint.

With the New Year just ahead of us, we often think about resolutions; changes we want to make to expand our businesses, ways we can improve our health or build our skills.  Keeping an open mind will help you in finding new ways of doing things and make change more exciting.

Here are a few tips that will help you keep an open mind.
1.    Let go of the need to be “right”. Allow everyone to be “right” and see how it transforms a conversation.
2.    Listen actively and practice clarifying what you heard and understood the other person to say.
3.    Exercise your curiosity by asking questions to better understand someone’s perspective.  Chances are you’ll learn a lot!

Respectfully,

Georgine

Beliefs

I’m always struck by the power of my beliefs on how the way I act.  Often, my beliefs are based on old patterns or habits that I’ve formed from past experiences.  Perhaps you can relate.  What’s important to keep in mind is that when we act out of old patterns, it keeps us from being “in the moment” and present to the needs of those around us.

Here are some commonly-held beliefs that influence our choices (and not always in a positive way):

·    In order for me to win, someone has to lose.
·    If I’m the leader (or boss), I have to know all the answers.
·    If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
·    No pain, no gain.
·    Big boys don’t cry.
·    If you want something done right, do it yourself.
·    Take care of #1.

Beliefs impact our behavior, and if we hold beliefs that have negative connotation, our actions will likely have negative results.  For example, if I held the belief that “in order for me to win, someone has to lose”, it’s likely I would create a sense of competition at work and end up alienating my team mates.

So, here’s another take on the beliefs listed above that are more likely to keep you (and me) in the present moment:

·    In order for me to win, others have to win as well.
·    If I’m the leader (or boss), I don’t have to know all the answers, I just need to know how to involve those who do.
·    If you can’t say something nice, there’s probably a conflict you need to solve.
·    No pain, is a good thing for everyone.
·    Every human feels pain and expresses it in his or her own way.
·    If you want something done right, give people the tools to succeed.
·    Take care of yourself so you can be available to take care of others.

I would love to hear some of your old patterns and beliefs that no longer serve you.  And, then, I’d like to hear how you can change them up to help you be more present to yourself and those around you.

Lynae

Culture Soup

A client recently shared a book with me called Soup: A Recipe to Nourish your Team and Culture by Jon Gordon.

I found this book, written as a fun business fable, to be quite delightful.  Gordon’s analogy around “soup” is based upon “who is stirring the pot” or leading the organization and what ingredients are going into the pot or organizational culture.

Gordon explains that in the past, managers were focused on the numbers, and the numbers were good. So morale was up and everyone was happy. But then the recession hit and the numbers went down. Well, when you’re focused on numbers and they’re going down, morale also goes down. So does engagement, and so does performance.

Gordon encourages leaders to take a new focus – culture.  A focus on culture is centered on purpose, value-based behaviors, morale and engaged relationships.  Leaders that use these ingredients build winning teams and nourishing cultures.

Engaged relationships are interactive, collaborative, and meaningful.  They are also essential to outcomes in any organization.

Here are some of Gordon’s insights that I thought were spot on!

• When you are driving through life at 100 miles per hour you can become so focused on creating success that you don’t make the time to develop the relationships that lead to your success. What our employees need the most, we’re delivering the least.

• Where there’s a void in communication, negativity fills it. The number one thing a manager can do during times of uncertainty is to communicate. Tell the truth, give them a plan, and help them believe. Optimism is a competitive advantage right now, and you need to convey it in all you say and do.

• The main question every employee in every organization wants to know is, “Do you care about me; can I trust you?” Employees who feel cared for, honored and nourished are more engaged in what they’re doing and will work at their highest potential.

With Respect,
Georgine