The late, great Donna Summer knew what she was talking about in her 1983 hit, She Works Hard for the Money. The day in, day out of work-life can be difficult to manage, especially when stakes are high and relationships are on the line. The following Community Commitments may help you better connect with your coworkers in hopes of making each day earning a living a little less hard and hopefully make Ms. Summer proud!
Community Commitments
Strive to Understand
Working on a team can be tough. By working toward a goal of understanding, you better position yourself to conceptualize someone’s point-of-view. This helps you work through difference rather than against it.
Reach for Connection
Beware of your inner creeper! Be authentic & genuine in your connections with team members. Remember, getting to know someone is not about HAVE TO, it’s about WANT TO. So even if you don’t feel like you want to get to know someone, try finding small ways to become curious about how they think or what their passions are in work or life. People often appreciate when others ask them about their favorite topic: THEM!
Test Vulnerability
Stating your opinion, admitting when you’ve changed your stance on an idea, or sharing personal feelings can be scary! However, successful leaders often become familiar with admitting when they’ve made a mistake. Vulnerability humanizes us and allows others to care for you or at least be mindful that you took a risk in a group. Make sure to take small steps (test) in understanding appropriate levels of vulnerability in a team setting. AND beware of sharing too much; make sure you have a balance of feeling comfortable and challenged.
Wonder Responsibly
Beware of building a complete story about what others are thinking. Intuition is a great tool to develop. However, make sure that you “wonder” what the person is going through or thinking, instead of building a reality that might not be true. Ask yourself “I wonder if they feel attacked because…” or “I wonder if they said that because they want to hear from others before making a final decision?” Use these “wonders” to help formulate your questions or interactions with your teammates.
Sustain Relationships
Yes, you’ve heard it before, but it’s true… NETWORKING MATTERS! The relationships you build inside and outside of a team can make or break opportunities in the future. Make sure that you build relationships that can last and that you’re not tainting relationships at work. Who knows, your new boss could be a friend of a former colleague that really trusted you on a team which can act as a strong informal recommendation! Or, that same colleague could have been someone that you had a horrible working relationship with and your professional name could be in jeopardy.
Suspend the B.U.T.
When you quickly use the response “But…” you are actually, Blindly Unnoticing Them or Blatantly Undermining Trust. Make sure to be aware of your patience in high stake conversations by suspending your response; first listen and then seek to understand what your colleague is saying.
If you’d like to put some of these tools into action, let’s talk. Send me a text or call today and let’s put your career wellness first, together.
Visit my website to find out more about the type of therapy I do in Fort Collins and online in Colorado at www.axiscounseling.com
Adam-Jon Aparicio, LPC
970-239-1983
Axis Counseling, PLLC
WHERE WELLNESS MEETS ACTION
