One thing that inspires me to go to work with full passion every morning is the opportunity to connect with people.
We have about 2000 people at work and it’s such a wonderful feeling when you can talk to so many different individuals on any given day, listen to what they have to say, hear about their challenges at work and in life, and offer your help whenever you can and in whatever way you can.
Each person has his or her own story. It’s fascinating to know them and understand where they come from, why they do what they do and how they become experts in certain areas. It’s a sea of treasure, if you are willing to dig deeper.
Sometimes I feel I’m beyond lucky because I get to support 2000 talented colleagues from a Communications perspective. It’s such a humbling experience.
Early in my career, a mentor and boss that I respected very much said to me:” if you want to be a leader, you need to be interested in people and genuinely care about them.”
Unfortunately as a young and selfish girl who just started to build a career, that advice didn’t resonate with me. I was too busy with caring about myself, thinking about how to win the next competition or get the next promotion. People? Yeah, they can take care of themselves. Guess what? It didn’t take me too far. I was perceived as a highly competent individual contributor but not a leader. It’s simple. To be a leader you need followers, but if you don’t care about people, who gonna follow you?
It took me a decade to truly understand and bring the advice that my mentor gave to me to life.
When you care, your heart starts to sing and your eyes have sparkles. Other people will see that, feel that, and respond positively. The power of connection at the human level is magnificent. Don’t you think so?
Care to connect, connect with Care.
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Here is a list of my favorite TED talks about how to better connect with others. Enjoy watching:
– The power of vulnerability by Brene Brown
– 10 ways to have a better conversation by Celeste Headlee
– Embracing otherness, embracing myself by Thandie Newton
– The power of introverts by Susan Cain
BOLD ELEGANCE 