Manage ‘I’ For The Good Of ‘We’ | Consistent | Belonging
Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS.
You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach:
Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: an energy (good or bad) word and it’s meaning
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge
LEARN
Something Worth Sharing
Manage ‘I’ For The Good Of ‘We’
I’ve spent a number of weeks deep-diving into the subject of ‘belonging’ and as a consequence have had some fascinating conversations with all sorts of people. I won’t be going into all this with you now, but I did want to share a bit of a ‘stand out’ to me that overlapped with my ‘Kindness Project’ (6 years of daily acts of kindness).
When we teach people to become self-aware, and to put their own oxygen mask of kindness on first, there is a regular pushback that we hear: “but isn’t that selfish?“. The difference between selfishness and acting with self-awareness and kindness is a deeper intention. Acting with self-responsibility is managing ‘I’ for the good of ‘we’. Selfishness is managing ‘we’ for the good of ‘I’.
In my experience, the root cause of selfishness is often (certainly not always) because of self-preservation - which can include a lack of trust or stability - rather than anything malicious. But that’s for another day!
The best performing teams understand managing ‘I’ for the good of ‘we’ - encouraging accountability and growth. This is part of belonging. Poor performing teams and cultures tolerate managing ‘we’ for the good of ‘I’. This will feel like arse-covering, a fear of vulnerability and wasted energy trying to avoid mistakes.
ENERGY
An emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Consistent
Progress requires consistency. Great teams also have consistency. With consistency comes a sense of security and the removal of some unknowns.
The word is from Latin consistere "to stand firm, take a standing position, stop, halt". It was formed from com "with, together" + sistere "to place" (causative of stare "to stand, be standing").
Consistency is standing firm and sticking to the plan - even when distracted or if it becomes dull. Those that are successful have often mastered this!
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
The Story of ‘US’
The action this week is inspired by the book at the end of this week’s LEAPS (Belonging). The second chapter discusses the importance of a great teams knowing the ‘story of us’ - something that goes beyond today and seeks to uncover the legacy that has allowed you to be where you are. I’m encouraging you to think about your ‘story of us’ - in any context. You may give some time to thinking of your team at work, or your family or even your romantic relationship. This allows you to better appreciate where you are and how you got there. Nothing ever happens without a ‘story of us’.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
“When have I most felt a sense of belonging - what was it that allowed me to feel this?”
Going back to my current favourite subject of belonging, this question is for you to consider your own belonging, when you have felt it and why.
I’d love for you to send me your own stories / thoughts about this. Drop me a line with your answer / thoughts on this question
SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition - my gratitude or to be celebrated.
Patience
I’m still in a phase of ‘recovery’ following my recent heart procedure. The thing I have been told countless times is ‘have patience’. It is such a valuable and necessary thing and yet one I really struggle with - hence needing to shout it out this week!
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LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis.
I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:
L: what have you learned?
E: what’s your energy / feeling word
A: what’s one thing you need to do?
P: what are you thinking / processing?
S: who or what can you shout out?
