I love connecting with people. I always have and I am continuing to look for ways to grow and develop in that area of my personal and professional life. One thing I have learned along the way is it’s very important to connect with another’s heart before trying to connect in other ways. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to feel heard, valued and cared about.
We all strive to feel successful in our personal and professional relationships. At times it can present various challenges and result in incorrect assumptions. It’s important to focus on the positive attributes of others and practice being fully focused and fully present in the moment when connecting with others. I offer you two models I am practicing with and hope you find them useful too.
Awareness + Curiosity + Choice = Change
Using my “Awareness + Curiosity + Choice = Change” model, here are some steps you may find helpful in building connections with others. Although they may appear obvious and simple, they take lots of practice:
Awareness: Build your awareness by focusing on what is being said when connecting with others. Seek to understand.
Curiosity: Sit in curiosity rather than assumption. Ask questions for clarity and suspend any desire to make assumptions. We can get in trouble when we think we know all of the answers and want to be right.
Choice: Choose responses that will fill the other person with positive energy and create a feeling that you hear and value them.
Change: Don’t lose sight of the need to have practical tools and models to help you create guiding principles around building connections with others.
Are you giving your best to your personal and professional relationships? Make your words and actions match by using my CAPE model.
My CAPE model is something I strive to wear at all times.
Caring: Connect with compassion and collaboration.
Action: Curiosity instead of assumption.
Perspective: Seeking to learn others perspectives.
Empathy: Demonstrate empathy. We don't know what is going on in other people’s worlds.
Make a list of three positive things you will do this week using my “Awareness + Curiosity + Choice = Change” model and wearing my “CAPE” model and implement them in your personal and professional relationships.
How high will your cape help you fly today in building connections with others?
I wish you a week of Intent Awareness, Innate Curiosity, and Best Choices for Meaningful Change.