“The undeniable reality is that how well you do in life and in business depends not only on what you do and how you do it, your skills and competencies, but also on who is doing it with you or to you. Who is helping you? Who is fighting you? Who is strengthening you or resisting and diminishing you? Who is helping you build those skills and competencies? Considering others in the workplace, they do have power in your life, for good or bad. But what kind of power are others going to have over your life and performance? Are they going to enhance or diminish?” -Dr. Henry Cloud
The Power of Considering Others in the Workplace
I recently joined the Fireseeds/Wildsparq team and have seen the power of ‘who’ you work alongside each day. The experience has been pleasant and unexpected—one of genuine warmth, encouragement, and engagement. Each person intentionally strengthens, builds, teaches, and enhances ‘the other’ in the workplace.
This is not always the case for everyone’s work culture. In reality, we have high expectations of ourselves and of other people, and oftentimes, our expectations are not met. We are sinful people trying to navigate work, relationships, and results, so this will never be ‘easy.’
I hope you work with great people – I sure do! But realistically, you might not get along with everyone you work with, and yet, you still have to work together despite personality differences or work-style preferences. While you will never be able to master people, you can become a master at dealing with people. You have the power to choose your interactions. You can control your responses, your reactions, your words, and your feelings associated with conversations—whether uplifting or challenging.
Questions to Ask When Considering Others in the Workplace
Are your words strengthening or diminishing the other person? Research has shown that the brain responds best to a ratio of five positive feedback messages for every negative message. The highest performers get an almost 6:1 ratio of positive to negative feedback. Let’s remember this and be intentional to increase the number of positive messages we send to our team.
Are you trusting the other person with work? Trust leads to confidence. Confidence is crucial for personal development. Personal development leads to empowerment and growth. Let’s not just delegate, but delegate and trust our incredible team members to thrive.
Are you allowing the other person to solve their own problems? Listen and ask probing questions. Usually, these questions lead to a solution or “best answer” within a given situation. Do not abandon, but prove that you trust their decision-making ability and judgment by letting them ‘own’ developmentally appropriate pieces of the job or process.
Are you holding the other person accountable? Team-member trust and team-member autonomy go hand in hand. As a leader, have you created and communicated structure within your organization? Are there weekly meetings and monthly and annual goals in place? Create structure around accountability, communicate it to your team, and follow through!
Why Considering Others in the Workplace is Important
Accountability leads to responsibility, trustworthiness, and ultimately achieving desired results. You need the freedom to be who you are, to make your own decisions, and to work in a way that you see fit, but this also comes with the responsibility to take action, to own it, to solve it, and to do it! Established accountability systems help your team move forward in freedom while ensuring excellence.
Today, take a minute and reflect on how you are letting other people, whether positive or negative, impact your thinking. Slow down and think about your words and how they are impacting those you work with. Consider the ways you are training (or not training) your mind to push past destructive thoughts and foster positive words before communicating. Seek ways to develop resiliency. Be a positive light and influence. Take ownership of your work. Invest where you are, because you have an opportunity to make a lasting impact.
“Just as we leave the effects of our work behind in results, we leave the effects of our interactions with people behind in their hearts, minds, and souls. We leave a wake of people behind us as we move through their lives and their organizations.” -Dr. Henry Cloud, Integrity
Connect with us to learn more about how FireSeeds helps recruit, develop, and retain multiplying leaders,
Connect with us to learn more about how WildSparq helps organizations implement a leader development strategy.
Whitney Ezell is our newest Recruiter at FireSeeds, located in Birmingham, AL. You can contact her directly at whitney@fireseeds.com.