Investing in People

Often when my wife & I are having a conversation, our son wants to join in and offer perspective.

The #conversation could be about buying a car or an office situation or the book we read (& yes we avoid age inappropriate topics). When we show interest in what he has to say, he feels overjoyed & quite often comes up with useful titbits of his own to add (that surprise us!). He is more accepting of decisions that impact him. On the contrary, when we keep engaging between us, not paying much attention to what he has to say, he feels sidelined & his energy levels drop.

It's a very similar story for us at work. When we #encourage a discussion & ask others on the team (irrespective of their seniority & functional alignment) their perspective, we are offering an encouraging & nurturing environment. It may extend the discussion by a few more mns, but it gives them a message that they #belong in the conversation. It builds their confidence. Done repeatedly, we start making greater contributions & behave more responsibly. If I look back at my career I feel blessed to have worked with people that heard me out, & invested in pulling me up by including me in discussions when I didn't have the seniority. That's how you build people, by being #inclusive.