Hello fellow Leaders
I hope you enjoyed last month’s newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to follow this leaderlike adventure! Writing to you all monthly allows me to share uplifting stories of leadership that may spark some joy in this time of uncertainty. Wherever you are in the world and whatever your position at work, I aspire to inspire by sharing my anecdotes and providing stories of triumph and leadership at its best.
I heard a great quote recently by Brené Brown “…if you don’t name the emotion it can eat you alive!”
This made me contemplate the multitude of emotions that many people have been experiencing since the Covid-19 outbreak. Some of these emotions may have been new. It is not an easy task to deal with emotions, especially the negative ones. We are skilled at reading others, and less skilled at observing ourselves from within. Most people probably spend more time reading how to operate their new car, than they do at self-exploration!
At a leadership level, it is vital for leaders to share with their teams, what is going on for them emotionally, as well as professionally. After all, if a leader expects their team to reveal their emotions, they must lead by example and also be prepared to do so. Many leaders simply avoid it! Being authentic and congruent is essential.
There is an abundance of training models for leaders and teams available today.
I would like to present my J.G.G.R. model, which receives reams of positive feedback when I use it in training sessions!
It encourages straight-talk and sharing heartfelt feelings. Using this in a professional setting takes down barriers and bolsters honesty. In my many years of experience I have witnessed how these 4 emotions play in our everyday lives:
- Joy (describing what makes me happy)
- Gratitude (naming what I am grateful for)
- Regret (stuff I coulda, woulda, shoulda done differently and why)
- Request (things we ask of people)
The J.G.R.R. model is super effective with family and in personal life too! I practiced this with my children when they were younger. Going around the dinner table and listening to our children’s ideas. It enabled us to discuss as a family and hear each person’s position in life at any given time.
I quickly discovered this approach had broad appeal in the training room. I was astonished at how swiftly participants picked up on it. There has never been any hesitation when introducing this model! People seem to genuinely revel in talking about this stuff!
Here is an example of what some of the Leaderlike participants have replied to J.G.G.R:
- “what brought me a lot of joy and positiveness was just us coming together and being open and honest.”
- “I would like to thank everybody here in the room for saying the important stuff, learning together in a non-judgmental approach.”
- “I regret that other team members could not be here today.”
- “My request is I would like to know that we could keep doing this.”
This technique can be used as an icebreaker or a weekly practice in the office. Incorporate it during your monthly meetings or at the end of a meeting, for example.
Enjoy my J.G.G.R. Podcast on Spotify, iTunes and Soundcloud. Click to listen.