Connections
How important are connections? We’ve all heard ‘no man is an island’ but sometimes we act as if that isn’t true.
It’s easy to lose connections when our role or work is unique. Just as you can be lonely at a party, working in a sustainability team that is viewed by others as ‘an added extra’ rather than core to the business can feel lonely. Consultants who come into businesses with vital support and insight can feel they are never really a part of anything.
We all need those times of heated debate, of relaxed laughter, of shared sorrow and joint anticipation. Without them we can get dry and stale, walking the same paths, choosing the same solutions.
So, what precisely is the connection we crave? It’s not just having someone to say hello to in the kitchen at work, nor even someone to bounce ideas off, although those interactions are important too.
I think we need to be understood on a deep level and also to understand.
We can work to develop that understanding by listening and looking – hearing words, observing gestures and expressions. It’s a gift we can give to our colleagues, friends and family and it forges connections – sometimes brief, sometimes long lasting.
The best managers and team members give their colleagues this gift; the gift of listening and working to understand the other’s perspective and from that point can really engage to support, help and open up new ideas and creativity.
Maybe you are one of those great people but, for whatever reason, it feels like the giving is all in one direction. Professional etiquette and confidentiality can make it difficult for leaders, in particular, to be on the receiving end of being understood. That can lead to loneliness, being stuck, confusion, lack of creativity and loss of energy.
‘Connection’ is what I do professionally. I provide that understanding to enable people to move forward.
If you’d like to connect and ‘diagnose’ what may be holding you or your team back, book a free diagnostic session with me. http://thaliacarr.co.uk/?page_id=351