It's all about adding value
Yesterday, I posted about authentic communication. Today, I’ll add on to that by sharing something that speaks to me about civil communication.
The amplified voice seeks obedient action on the part of its hearers and an immediate end to their speech. There is no possibility of conversation with a loudspeaker. – James P. Carse
What a powerful indictment of ‘yelling’ as a method of communication.
What a powerful endorsement of authentic and civil discourse.
I’ve long been a proponent of authenticity. Be who you are, speak that power and truth and you cannot go wrong in business or life.
I read a book today called Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility, by James P. Carse. This is not a book about gameplay, not in the least. As I read through it, I found myself taken back to Paulo Coelho’s Warrior of Light, truth be told. The prose, while not lyrical, had the same sense for me as Coelho’s text.
There were a number of profound takeaways but today I share with you two in particular.
First:
When I forsake my genius and speak to you as though you were another, I also speak to you as someone you are not and somewhere you are not. I address you as audience, and do not expect you to respond as the genius you are.
This struck me as quite possibly the most profound statement on authenticity I have ever read. It is an affirmation that when we are authentic, when we speak our truth to others, we are offering respect and acknowledgement of their true self, as well.
Second:
To speak, or act, or think originally is to erase the boundary of the self.
When we open ourselves up authentically, when we communicate, we are giving of ourselves to another. We are asking them to consider our words, our communication, and add this to their personal narrative.
I submit to you that if you can establish this rapport, this authentic conversation, new horizons will open to you.
It’s 99.99% likely you are reading this on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or the Internet. We are a networked planet, nearly globally. With such a diverse possibly of contacts, you are quite literally losing business if you are not engaged in some form of networking.
In researching this question, I came across this article from Dayna Steele, from Relate by Zendesk. She absolutely nails it when she writes, “The larger your network, the more opportunities, ideas, and answers come your way.”
Be you. Be authentic. Add value.
Your business very likely depends on it.
It’s been said that “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” (Peter Drucker). What does this mean? Mr. Drucker is, in my humble opinion, stating that a positive corporate culture will take an organization places beyond what strategy can do.
What is culture? Texas A&M defines this concept as “a way of life of a group of people–the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept…”
What is strategy? Business Dictionary defines strategy as “a method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem.”
I propose that as a leader, it be your strategy to develop a positive culture. If you build that culture, it will empower your people to take the organization places you alone cannot.