Today I joined an excellent, thought provoking workshop with Julian Stodd. Julian posed two questions which made me ponder life and the universe….
- What power do you hold?
Power is broadly made up of the unseen soft skills that are very hard to master. Power comes from such things as your ability to
- influence from your experience
- be approachable through kindness
- speak in a language that’s understood
- provide a safe environment through being non-judgemental
It was clear that the terms and conditions of the employment contract, and the roles and responsibilities of the job description define your powers but it’s up to you to activate them through your bevahiour
- What does it mean to belong?
To belong you need to be safe. You need to know that you can mess up with back up. You need to be where the people accept you for who you are and care about your well-being. The people around you need to be consistent so that you can establish trusting relationships of reciprocal respect and support.
Lots of people are in situations where they feel they don’t belong. When you’re next in work, make sure that you welcome everybody and make sure they feel like they belong, using your powers of influence and kindness.