“It was when I found out I could make mistakes that I knew I was on to something.” ~ Ornette Coleman
Two things that block our self-expression and creativity is the fear of judgement, and the weight of expectations to do things the “right” way.
We hold back in team meetings and other kinds of relationships, fearful that we will receive a disparaging response.
A guiding principle for communication that can help mitigate negativity and fear, and create safety for creative self-expression is Nobody Gets to Be Wrong.
Imagine conducting all future meetings and general dialogue with this principle in place. What would the implications be?
- All ideas are welcome
- Freedom to playfully experiment and get messy
- Less thinking and more spontaneity
- More ideas shared leading to greater productivity and possibilities
- More inclusion, trust and respect
- A greater sense of morale and wellbeing
What’s required?
- Looking for the value in all contributions
- Creating more time and space to hear a variety of perspectives
- Believing in people’s innate capacity to express and be creative
- Having compassion and patience for those who don’t feel comfortable expressing themselves at first
- Being self-aware, and self-managing in moments you feel yourself about to judge or react
- Practicing communication skills aligned with the Spirit of Yes And
Introducing the Principle: You may start by saying, “Up until this point, I’ve sometimes noticed that we have…(what hasn’t been working). Now I want to suggest we try on a guiding principle in our meetings and general discussions called Nobody Gets to Be Wrong. Here is what it means to me… What does it mean to you? How would we need to show up / behave differently in order to operate from this principle? What desired outcomes might be achieved if we operated this way?”
It is useful to remember that what will make your employees fulfilled is feeling heard, valued and encouraged. It is not the big things, but the everyday little things that will keep them happily working for you. It is therefore vital that we do everything we can to ensure that the soft skills are as much of a priority as the daily operations.
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Related Reading:
7 Mindsets for Collaboration ~ Building Creative & Engaging Relationships
The 5 Needs of Employees ~ Creating a Socially Responsible Organization
Related Training:
Leadership from the Inside Out ~ Opportunity to Learn, Safe to Be Reflective, Empowered to Take Action